


you keep robbing my heart like a bank

by champagnetoast



Category: Fifth Harmony (Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-09-02 07:36:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 64,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8658205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/champagnetoast/pseuds/champagnetoast
Summary: Most people would describe Lauren Jauregui as a teacher's pet, a nerd, the girl with no friends. She's just trying to make her way through high school unnoticed, but sadly some people still push her around. She definitely doesn't want to be noticed by Camila Cabello, the school's well-known bad girl. Unfortunately for her, she already has Camila's attention; the girl has had a crush on Lauren for years. Finally, senior year rolls around, bringing surprises and last chances for both of the girls.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *trigger warning for bullying*
> 
> follow me on wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

"Come on Lauren, it's your first day. You don't want to be late. You better get going now."

Lauren sighs, dropping her plate and glass into the sink. She scoops her backpack up from off the floor and shoves her feet into her shoes.

"I know dad. I'll uh, see you later." Just as she's about to step through the door, her dad calls her back.

"Listen, sweetie. I know school hasn't been... the easiest for you. Kids can be cruel, unfortunately. But remember, they only pick on you because-"

"I know I know, because they're jealous that I'm smarter than they'll ever be," Lauren recites back with an eye roll.

Her dad smiles fondly, placing his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "Yes, that too. But I was going to say, because you're the most amazing kid in the entire world. They're not even half as great as you are. You're going to go on and do amazing things, I know you're capable of it all. It's your last year of high school, and then you're free. Just focus on that."

Lauren smiles up at her dad, because he's always been such a great support system for her. "Thanks dad. I'll remember that."

"And stick by Ally and Tori. They're great kids and I can tell they care about you."

"I will," Lauren promises as she pecks her dad's cheek, waving goodbye to him as she steps out of the door.

Getting into her car, Lauren tosses her backpack onto the passenger seat, starting the engine and buckling her belt. She turns up the volume to the Kehlani song that plays from her phone through the car's speakers, because she's been obsessed with her lately.

Lauren gets lost in her thoughts as she drives to school, thoughts of surviving another nine months, thoughts of being made fun of, thoughts of being mostly ignored by a majority of the students.

She appreciates her dad's words, but she knows she's not anything special. What else would explain why she gets picked on at school, or why she's never been asked out, or why she only knows two people willing to call themselves her friends?

When Kehlani's  _Bright_ starts blasting through the car, Lauren turns it up a little louder, because it's something she really needs to hear right now.

_So be great, be kind,_

_don't let them dim your light._

_A woman, like a sun, should always stay bright._

~~

Lauren's style in public and at school is what people would consider "girly". She mostly wears babydoll dresses, sandals or flats, has her hair parted and pinned to the side (even though she has this nervous habit of running her hand through it), and of course, her usual glasses that are black rimmed at the top of the lenses.

But what nobody knows about is her "secret style" she has hidden at the back of her closet. Not to say that what she wears now doesn't represent who she is. It's just... sometimes she just feels like looking like a badass, alright?

Call her indecisive, call her confused, but that's just how Lauren feels. She only wishes she had more confidence to actually change her style up in public. She's too insecure to attempt it, half afraid that it'll only encourage more bullying, half worried that she'll warrant too much unwanted attention. So Lauren stays with what she has going on now, since she's a bit of a wallflower and would prefer to fly under the radar.

Plus, Ally always says Lauren looks cute, and Tori sometimes borrows clothes from her, so she must be doing  _something_ right.

Speaking of, she sees her friends standing around Ally's locker, so Lauren makes her way over to them through the crowded hallway.

"... and then he took me on a walk on the beach, and the sunset was so beautiful and the kiss he gave me was perfect."

Lauren approaches just as Ally is gushing excitedly about something to Tori, so she waits until the girl has finished her sentence before announcing her presence.

"Hey guys."

Tori whips around, a huge smile on her face. "Laur! I missed you!"

Lauren giggles into the embrace Tori gives her. "We just saw each other like two days ago, Tor."

"I'm still allowed to miss you."

Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, nods her head in agreement. "I missed you too."

"Morning, Laur," Ally says, leaning in to give Lauren a quick hug.

"Morning Allycat. What were you guys talking about?"

Tori glances over at Ally, gently elbowing the girl with a smirk on her face. "Go on, tell Lauren about your little  _daaaaate_."

"Date?" Lauren questions, tilting her head slightly.

Ally rolls her eyes at Tori's antics, turning to explain to Lauren. "I went on a date with Troy, –remember him?– two days ago, but I didn't inform you guys because I wanted to tell you in person."

"That's amazing, Ally! How was it?"

The smile on Ally's face clues Lauren in before the girl even starts talking. "Perfect. He was so sweet and made sure I was comfortable with everything, then he kissed me in front of the sunset. It was everything I could ever want," Ally finishes with a dreamy edge in her voice.

"Are you guys going to have another one?"

"I hope so," Ally replies. "We've been texting non-stop since, so... here's hoping!"

Lauren smiles softly, shifting her bag on her shoulder. "I'm really happy for you."

Ally glances up at Lauren, placing a hand on the girl's arm. "And I'm sure we'll find someone for you too, hm? Especially since Tori refuses to let me meddle in her relationship business."

"Hey, that's only because I couldn't care less about relationships. I wouldn't be any fun."

Smiling gratefully at Ally, Lauren shakes her head. "Don't worry about it Ally. I don't think there's anyone in this school for me."

"Perhaps," Ally says thoughtfully. "But you never know. "

"I highly doubt that. No one has ever shown interest in me before."

Both Tori and Ally loop an arm through each of Lauren's comfortingly, making the way down the hall to her locker.

"It's senior year, Laur. Anything could happen, you know," Tori reassures, squeezing closer to Lauren when they pass by a group of kids taking up half the hallway.

"To be honest, I just want to get through this last year receiving as little attention as possible. We all know the attention I attract isn't exactly... the nicest."

Stopping at Lauren's locker, Ally pouts sadly at the girl as she begins sorting through it. "I'm so sorry. I wish we could do more about all the crap you go through. It just makes me so angry that people are so mean!" Lauren can tell Ally is getting worked up, so she stops what she's doing to calm the girl down (she's literally just 4 feet 11 inches of tiny rage).

"It's okay, Ally. There's not much that can be done though. I just want to get through this last year and then move on to bigger and better things."

Tori smiles sweetly at Lauren, throwing an arm around the girl's shoulders. "That's the spirit, Laur. And you know that we're always here for you, no matter what."

"I know. I love you, both of you," Lauren says with a fond smile, squeezing her best friends' hands briefly.

~~

Lauren has made it the entire school day without running into any trouble, which is some kind of miracle. She's hoping that maybe it's a testament to how the rest of her school year will be.

She doesn't know where Tori and Ally are, because they haven't established their new routine yet. Lauren figures they can compare schedules later and work everything out.

Just as Lauren as about to walk through the double doors and be home free, two figures block her way, and Lauren feels like they're towering over her even though she's not that short.

"Where are you off to, Jauregui? We haven't seen you all summer. We just wanted to say hi."

Peering up through her glasses, Lauren grips the strap of her bag a little bit tighter. "What do you want, Austin?"

"Don't look so happy to see us, Laur," Brad chimes in with a smug smirk on his face.

Looking down, Lauren furrows her eyebrows. "Don't call me that," she quietly mumbles.

"What did you say?" Brad asks, leaning closer.

Lauren really wishes her friends were here, because she never gets picked on when they're all together. "I said don't call me that. Only my friends can call me that name," her voice is even softer, but the two boys still hear her words.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you prefer the nickname 'bitch'? Because that's what you are," Austin growls out, taking a menacing step closer to Lauren. She glances back up in fear, instinctively moving backwards. "You don't get to talk to us like that, you fucking bitch. You think I give a shit how you feel?"

The two boys keep moving closer and closer to Lauren throughout Austin's speech, and she knows she won't be able to back up much more because there's a row of lockers behind her.

"We don't want to hear your whining anymore. Unless you'd like to find a little surprise in your locker tomorrow morning," Brad threatens angrily.

They've never physically harmed Lauren, but they've played plenty of humiliating, mean pranks on her and constantly verbally abuse her. She doesn't know which one she hates more.

Lauren always promises herself she won't cry during these situations, but she can't help that she's just a very emotional person. She looks away, hoping they won't notice her watery eyes.

"Aw, is the little baby crying?" Austin mocks, laughing along with Brad. "She's just upset because even her friends don't want to be around her to protect her. Probably because they only talk to her out of pity. Isn't that right,  _Laur?"_

Lauren knows that usually if she just waited it out long enough, they would eventually fill their quota for the day and leave her alone. But apparently today, they're making up for lost time, because they don't seem anywhere near stopping.

"Wow, can't even look at us when we're talking to you, bitch? Stop being such a pussy." Brad tries to move his head to make eye contact with Lauren but she just turns away further.

"Leave me alone," Lauren quietly says, knowing she's treading on thin ice.

"I can't hear you, bitch," Austin sneers in her face.

"Leave me alone," Lauren nearly shouts, then realizes her mistake.

"What the fuck was that!"

It takes Lauren a second to realize that the exclamation didn't come from either boy, but she doesn't feel much relief because it's probably just another one of their friends here to gang up on her.

She turns around and confirms her suspicions that it is indeed another one of their friends. Not just any one, though. It's Camila Cabello, the girl that all of Camila's friends tend to look up to, almost as a sort of leader.

Everybody in the school knows who Camila is. If not by the rumors and speculations whispered through the halls, then by the tattoos that line her arms and the badass style she dresses herself in.

They've both been attending this school since 9th grade, so Lauren has seen Camila many times before, and has even had a few run ins with the girl.

~~

Lauren is not one to fall asleep in class. She's usually very alert, jotting down notes, answering every question, participating fully in each class. But she got a little carried away watching Glee last night and now she's paying for it hard.

She's just  _so_  tired.

So who can really blame her if she dozes off a little in her History class; she knows all the course material, and the quizzes are a piece of cake.

"Lauren! Perhaps you would like to answer that question for us."

Her head shoots up so quickly, Lauren almost breaks her neck. She stares at Ms. Spears with wide eyes, and while usually she'd be able to answer the question with no problem, she doesn't actually know what the question  _is_. And she doesn't want to ask for it again because based on the look Ms. Spears is giving her, the woman knows that Lauren was sleeping and is trying to catch her in the act (for some reason, she's always disliked Lauren, but she really doesn't know why).

"Um, uh-" Lauren stutters, glancing wildly at the teacher and the students staring expectantly back at her.

Just as Lauren is about to admit defeat, she hears a soft, whispered  _France_  from her right, and instead of attracting attention to the person who possibly just saved her life, Lauren looks back at the teacher who is scowling at her.

"Uh... is the answer, uh... France?" When Ms. Spears looks disappointed, not satisfied, Lauren knows she won this round.

"That is correct. Now, Ms. Jauregui, I assume you had your eyes closed because it's some sort of concentration technique you use to learn my course material?"

Lauren stares down at her desk, feeling small under the woman's gaze. "Sorry," she mumbles, barely loud enough for the teacher to hear. Thankfully for her, Ms. Spears carries on with her lesson, not bothering Lauren any longer.

Now that the attention is no longer on her, Lauren glances to her right to identify her savior, and finds brown eyes staring expectantly back at her.

She doesn't know the girl personally, but she does recognize her as Camila. The girl is assigned to the seat next to Lauren's, and it's a couple of months into their freshman year so Lauren has heard Camila's name called a few times in class.

"Thanks for saving me back there. I'm just so tired, and I couldn't keep my eyes open... although that definitely woke me up," Lauren explains shyly, her voice quiet so that Ms. Spears won't hear them.

"No problem. Ms. Spears has this weird dislike for us so I didn't mind helping you out just to spite her. Plus, it doesn't hurt that you're kind of cute when you're nervous," Camila cheekily says, flashing a grin at Lauren.

Feeling the blush heat up her cheeks at being called  _cute,_  Lauren glances away, her nerves getting the best of her.

"Kind of like right now," Camila giggles out, enamored by Lauren's reaction.

Lauren runs her hands through her hair, a nervous habit she's had since she can remember. "Um, th- thanks. That was... um, thanks." She aims a small smile at Camila, the most she can do in her current situation because this pretty girl is  _talking_  to her and showing her  _attention_ , calling her  _cute_ , and Lauren doesn't know how to handle it all. She's never been good at interacting with people her age.

Camila beams at her almost adoringly, turning her attention back to the lesson before they get caught.

Lauren takes note of Camila's adorably crooked bottom teeth, then turns back to face the front, trying her best not to fall asleep again.

~~

Now, Lauren is not blind; she knows that Camila is an attractive girl. Just because she wears glasses doesn't mean she can't see that. But Lauren knows about the girl's reputation and attitude, and since both intimidate her, she's never developed an actual crush on Camila. Call it irreconcilable differences: Lauren is too timid, and Camila is too...  _scary._  Lauren keeps her distance, admires from afar occasionally (she's not blind, okay??), and keeps moving on with her life.

It's been about a year since they've last interacted, and Lauren can definitely admit that Camila has matured physically since then. And if Lauren wasn't so daunted by this entire situation, she might have taken more time to appreciate Camila's inked arms because... well, fuck, it just  _does_  something to her. 

"Well? Answer me! What was that!" Camila demands impatiently, reminding Lauren that she's stuck in a very unfavorable dilemma right now. 

"I- I'm sorry, I just wanted them to leave me alone. Usually I stay quiet but I really want to go home and... it just slipped out," Lauren apologizes apprehensively, because nobody messes with Camila, and the girl is probably angry that Lauren talked back to her friends.

But then Camila gives her this puzzled look, furrowing her eyebrows at Lauren. "What? Why are you apologizing?"

Lauren looks back at Camila, slightly confused at Camila's reply. "Because you're mad, and I thought it was for, um, me talking back to th-"

"What, no, of course not," Camila interrupts, switching her gaze between Lauren and the two boys before keeping it on them, and Lauren now realizes that they're starting to look scared.

"I was yelling at these two shitheads right here. Who apparently think it's okay to go picking on people like Lauren whenever the fuck they want! What the fuck is wrong with you two?!" Camila is definitely angrier addressing Austin and Brad than she was speaking to Lauren.

"Listen, we were just having a little fun. There's nothing wro-"

"Like hell there isn't, Mahone! Is this your first time doing this?"

Brad speaks up this time. "Of course. We've never done it before now." Austin then sends a threatening look towards Lauren, silently telling her to keep quiet. Camila doesn't miss this.

She turns her head to Lauren, her mouth set in a deep frown. "Is this true Lauren? Has it just been this one time?"

Lauren knows what would happen if she ratted the boys out, and she's definitely not interested in finding another dead rodent with a bow tied around its neck in her locker tomorrow morning.

"Ye- yeah, just the o- one time, don't, uh, don't worry," Lauren stutters out, aware of the two boys glaring into the side of her head.

Camila steps closer to Lauren, but it doesn't scare her the way she felt when Austin did. "Tell me the truth Lauren. Has this been the only time? Don't be afraid to tell me. I'll make sure they never do it again."

Lauren looks back at Camila with wide eyes.  _Is Camila serious? Could she really make it stop?_ Even the teachers weren't able to, because the two boys were always so strategic with their bullying, making sure no one ever caught them. Until today, apparently.

"I- I... uh..." Lauren's green eyes are flicking back and forth between Austin, Brad, and Camila, not sure who she trusts  _less._

"Lauren." It's the soft, gentle way Camila called her name that has Lauren's wild eyes calming down, focusing on the girl in front of her. "You can trust me. Please. Just tell me the truth. Don't be afraid of them." Camila's voice and words are so reassuring to Lauren, something about the caring look in her eyes has Lauren's resistance slowly ebbing away.

"Uh, uh..."

"Please, Lauren. I promise." Camila places a comforting hand on Lauren's forearm, melting away the last of Lauren's hesitance.

Looking down in embarrassment, Lauren lets her brown hair cover her face so only Camila can see it, her glasses sliding down her nose. "No," she whispers out, still afraid of some sort of backlash. "It's been going on for a while now."

"How long?" Camila gently prods, keeping her palm where it is on Lauren's arm.

"Since... freshman year."

Lauren feels Camila's fingers tighten on her skin, and when she glances back up, the girl's features looks angrier and angrier by the second. She looks over to notice that Austin and Brad's faces have significantly paled, and they've completely forgotten about being menacing towards Lauren.

"Thank you for telling me Lauren. You should head home now. Drive safe." It's so calm, the way Camila tells that to her, almost eerily so, and she releases her grip on Lauren as she turns to the two boys.

Realizing some crazy shit is probably about to go down based on everyone's expressions, Lauren takes Camila's advice and books it, power walking out of the school and over to her car in a rush. She glances at the building as she pulls out of the parking lot, perplexed and apprehensive regarding everything that just happened.

 _What exactly_ did _happen?_

~~

When Lauren gets home, she runs straight up to her room, knowing no one is home so she doesn't have to say hi. She tosses her bag onto the floor and flops down onto the bed, the prior events still playing on repeat in her mind.

She doesn't understand why Camila stuck up for her against Camila's own friends; fuck that, she doesn't understand why Camila stuck up for her  _at all_. They're most certainly not friends, they've only interacted a few times before, and last Lauren checked, they were at opposite ends of the imposed high school food chain.

People like Camila don't stand up for people like Lauren.

She can't comprehend why Camila was so nice and caring to her. To be honest, she didn't even think that Camila remembered she existed.

Then, Lauren gets an idea that starts sending her into a panic.

 _What if all three of them are playing some huge prank on her? What if Camila is in on it too, and they're going to humiliate her tomorrow at school? What if this is just some big setup to make her look like even more of a loser?_  Lauren can handle the bullying (to an extent), but that doesn't mean she wants it to happen or looks forward to it. She's grown some thick skin (more like: she's learned to live with it) over the years, but harsh words can have a lasting effect on a person.

Her thoughts have Lauren stressing, and she knows she needs to calm down somehow. She decides to text Tori and Ally, because she really needs her friends right now, and they'll help her feel better.

~~

"Wait,  _Camila Cabello_  did all this? As in, our school's Camila Cabello? You know, the one with the tats and stuff? Who kind of has that grunge vibe going on?"

"Tori, cut it out," Ally chastises, slapping Tori lightly on the arm.

"I don't understand it either," Lauren groans, her head in her hands as they all sit on her bed.

Tori stands up, partly to rant and partly so Ally can't slap her again. "But it doesn't make sense! The girl doesn't know who we are! Why would she stick up for any of us,  _especially_  to her own meatheads?"

"Meatheads?" Ally questions.

"Yeah, those guys are all a bunch of dumbasses."

Ally glances over at Lauren who is now lying on her back where Tori was previously sitting, her eyes closed and a frown on her face.

"Come on, Tori, we need to be helping Lauren here."

Tori gazes over at Lauren, feeling sorry for her friend, who probably just wants to get through her last year quickly and quietly. She wishes she could help the girl more with her school issues, but they've tried everything and don't know what else to do.

"I'm sorry, Laur," Tori apologizes as she sits back down on the bed, picking Lauren's head up to lay it across her lap. "I'm here for you, I promise." She strokes Lauren's long brown hair, and watches as the crease between the girl's eyebrows finally relaxes.

"I know guys. Thank you, really. I just needed to vent so I could sort my thoughts out."

Ally sits in thought for a moment before looking over at the two girls. "I've got an idea. Since you're worried that something might happen tomorrow, how about we make sure you always have at least one of us with you the entire school day. That might put them off a little if they know you're not alone."

Lauren almost sits up until Tori tugs on her hair, forcing the girl to lie back down. "No, no no, Ally, Tori, I can't make you guys do that. You'll be late for your classes and stuff. That wouldn't be fair."

"Don't worry about that, Laur. We'll make it work. We want to help you, okay?" Tori nods in agreement while Ally looks into Lauren's green eyes, knowing how to make the girl relent.

"I... fine," she sighs out, not happy about her friends disrupting their schedule for her. But she knows she won't be able to stop them unless she deliberately tries to avoid them, which would be stupid.

"Thanks so much. I love you both," Lauren says, smiling softly at her two best friends.

"Of course babe. We love you too, you know that," Tori encourages, leaning down to dot a kiss on Lauren's forehead as Ally grabs her hand.

Even though she's got the added reassurance that her friends will be looking out for her, Lauren can't help but feel uneasy about the situation she's in. There's still no confirmed explanation for why Camila stood up for her, and she can't help but feel like there's something else going on here.

~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> are you ready for the cliche coaster!!!! join me as we embark on a wild ride of overused plot lines, exhausted narrations, and stereotyped characters! raise your arms at the archetype of good girl and bad girl falling for each other in a hormone-filled high school setting! yell at the top of your lungs while we read everything that's ever happened in any other fic happen here! are you ready for the ride of your life??
> 
> so yeah. i saw that gif of lauren in the clean and clear commercial and knew i just had to write this story. even though it's super cliche and has been done a million times over.
> 
> also if you haven't noticed, i have a thing for tattoos...
> 
> by the way, please let me know if you guys would like trigger warnings for bullying or anything else sensitive that might happen. it won't probably won't be as bad or as long as it was here, but just in case, let me know.
> 
> follow me on wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

"So, you ready, Laur? Either Tori or I will be with you for a majority of the day, except for that little portion where neither of us can make it, but I'm really considering being tardy to that class so you won't be alo-"

"Ally," Lauren calmly interrupts, halting the girl's musings. "You are not going to be late for your class, okay? I can be alone for a few minutes, nothing bad is going to happen. If it'll make you feel better, I can hide in the bathroom or something until the bell rings. How does that sound?"

Taking in a deep breath, Ally nods stiffly, trying not to stress too much about her friend. "Yes. I... yes, okay, that sounds good."

"Plus," Lauren continues. "I can't cower and hide like this for the entire school year. If something happens, it happens. I can't do too much about it."

"But we don't  _want_ anything happening to you, Laur. We're trying to prevent it," Tori chimes in from Lauren's right.

Lauren shrugs her shoulders, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "I know, me either, trust me. I've made it this far, though, right? What's one more year?"

Ally gazes sympathetically at Lauren, placing a hand on her arm. "Laur, no, that's not how it should be tho-"

"Seriously, Ally." Lauren turns towards the smaller girl, placing her own hands on her shoulders. "You need to stop stressing about it, okay? I'm okay, which means you need to be too."

Ally goes to argue once more, but the pointed look and raised eyebrow from Lauren halts her words. 

"Fine," she mumbles, defeated. "But if anything,  _anything_  at all happens, you let me know as soon as possible, alright?" Sometimes Lauren forgets how motherly Ally can be.

"Quit bugging her, Ally. Go go, shoo shoo. I've got this." And she also forgets how sisterly Tori can be.

They say goodbye to Ally as they walk through the school doors, making their way towards Tori's locker first, since it's closer.

"I'm not going to ask if you're okay, because we both know Ally did more than enough of that." The two girls share a good-natured eye roll.

"Thank you, it's greatly appreciated _,_ " Lauren jokingly says with a smile on her face.

Tori pauses her thought as she finishes rifling through her locker, shutting it with a bang. She leads the way as they walk towards Lauren's locker. "But, like Ally said, anything happens, you let us know, okay?"

"Yes, okay,  _mom,_ " Lauren teases, lightly shoving the other girl before opening her locker.

Tori scoffs, regaining her balance and lifting one hand in the air. "Please, we both know Ally is the mother in this relationship." (See, what did she say?)

Once Lauren is finished with swapping her books, Tori turns back to her, looping their arms together as they head for class. "Shall we?"

~~

Ally nearly had a breakdown at the thought of neither her nor Tori being able to accompany Lauren for these few minutes their schedules didn't line up. Tori had to practically drag the girl away towards her class; it almost looked like a scene out of a horror movie. Lauren had just laughed as they walked (Tori walked, Ally was towed away) towards their class, shoving down her apprehension at now being vulnerable to anyone who wanted to mess with her. She had decided to listen to her earlier words and hide out in the bathroom until it was time for class. Better safe than sorry.

Luckily for Lauren, the restrooms close to her next class are usually empty, so she won't have to face anyone's wondering (judgmental) stare.

Propping herself against the far wall, Lauren places her bag at her feet, pulling out her phone and checking her Instagram while she waits. There isn't much to see though; she doesn't have many people on there besides Ally, Tori, and her own family. The celebrities she follows take up the majority of her newsfeed.

A few minutes pass of mindless scrolling when suddenly the bathroom door is opened, slightly startling Lauren. She quickly stands upright so that it won't look like she's hiding out in there to whoever is at the door. But Lauren soon realizes that doesn't matter, because clearly her hiding spot did not work. Camila is standing in the threshold, one hand holding the door open while she stares at Lauren.

Lauren shrinks in on herself, feeling small, even though she's taller than Camila. When the girl steps forward and the door shuts behind her, Lauren realizes that Camila is most likely here alone, but that thought only makes her feel a  _little_  bit better.

Camila keeps steadily making her way towards Lauren, having to cross the entire bathroom to reach her, and Lauren silently wishes she had either hidden in a stall, or settled herself nearer to the door for a quick escape. Her thoughts are interrupted when Camila stops a few feet away from her, and Lauren nervously runs a shaky hand through her hair.

"Finally."

"Um... what?"

"Finally," Camila repeats, keeping her eyes on Lauren. "I've been trying to get you alone all day."

Lauren furrows her brows, not quite understanding the girl. She opens her mouth to reply but nothing comes out, too agitated to know what to say.

"I wanted to talk to you alone," Camila explains. "But one of your friends was always nearby."

"Wh- why did you want to talk to me?" Lauren finally finds her voice, but she's still extremely unsure and still a little worried about the whole situation.

Rolling her eyes slightly, Camila turns to start checking all the stalls, wanting to know if they're in the bathroom alone. She doesn't answer right away, and that, mixed with what she's currently doing has Lauren on edge. She glances towards the restroom door, expecting Austin and Brad to burst through at any moment and corner her helplessly.

"What are you going to do to me?"

Letting the second to last stall door fall closed, Camila turns her head distractedly towards Lauren. "Huh?"

Lauren ignores the girl's puzzled expression, her mind running through all the possibilities of what could happen to her. "A- are Austin and Brad waiting outside?"

That question has Camila pausing from where she's checking the last stall. "Austin and Brad?" She asks, but it's said quietly, almost to herself. "What do they have to do with anything?"

"You know," Lauren says, gesturing anxiously towards the door. She's working herself up into a slight panic, worry growing by the second. "They always target me when I'm alone. Is that why you're in on it too? To help them out? Make it easier for them?"

Camila is at a total loss now, and she makes her way back over to Lauren to try to understand what the girl is going on about. "Lauren, what the hell are you talking about?"

Her tone and choice of words shuts Lauren's rambling up, and she nervously looks away from Camila, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "I- I- I... just thought that, yesterday, and..."

Camila runs through everything Lauren has said since she entered the bathroom, putting the pieces together.

"Whoa whoa, Lauren, Lauren. Relax. I'm not here to bother you. I just wanted to check up on you, see if you were okay," Camila quickly reassures, wanting to calm Lauren's fears.

"You... you did?" Lauren's green eyes focus back on Camila, going back and forth between making eye contact and glancing at the door.

"Yes, I did. Lauren," Camila exasperatedly breaths out, stepping forward so that the girl will look at her. " _Lauren_." Camila's soft voice finally has Lauren's wild gaze slowing down, not as nervous as before.

"Uh huh?"

Camila bites her lip and looks away, a faint smile on her face at Lauren's cute response. She composes herself and focuses back on the tense girl in front of her.

"I was serious about yesterday. I had no idea those assholes were doing something like that for  _so long_. God, it got me so angry. Trust me when I say that they'll never bother you again."

"Wait, are you serious?"

Nodding in reassurance, Camila hesitantly reaches forward to place a hand on the girl's bicep. "Yes, I am. I'm so sorry that all of that happened to you, but it'll never happen again. Alright?"

"Um, um." Lauren locks her eyes on Camila's arm, because she's never seen the girl's tattoos this close before. 

" _Lauren._  Okay?" Camila pulls her arm back and ducks her head, attempting to catch Lauren's gaze.

Lauren snaps out of her slight trance and nods her head quickly, causing her glasses to slide down her nose. 

"Okay. Why should I believe you though? I... I don't really know you," Lauren hesitantly points out, cautious about angering the girl in front of her. 

"Fair point," Camila says with a shrug. "You don't really know me. But, uh... I just, you have to trust me that I would never hurt you."

Lauren is pretty sure this is the first time she's ever seen the girl lose her cool, and it has her wondering why Camila looks embarrassed all of a sudden.

"Um, I guess..." Lauren trails off, because she's still not really sure.

Camila pauses to think for a moment, squinting her eyes in thought. "Let me prove it to you."

"Prove... it? Prove what?"

"Let me prove that you can trust me."

Raising one eyebrow in confusion, Lauren tilts her head, reaching to slide her glasses back up. "Okay... how?"

"At school. I'll make sure no one ever bullies you again. I could be your own personal bodyguard."

That comment has Lauren letting out an involuntary giggle, causing Camila to smile at Lauren's reaction. 

"Bodyguard? That, uh, that seems a little odd, doesn't it?"

Camila shrugs again, waving a hand dismissively. "What do you say?"

Running a hand through her hair in thought, Lauren ponders over Camila's suggestion. "I mean... I guess? Can we not call it bodyguard though? Makes me feel like a pop star or something."

"You're pretty enough to be one," Camila says with a flirtatious wink, and it's the first time during this whole interaction that Lauren messes with her hair in bashfulness, not nervousness.

This entire situation went from one end to the other in the blink of an eye, and Lauren honestly doesn't know what to make of it.

"Uh, uh..." Lauren attempts to fight the blush on her cheeks, but she knows she's unsuccessful by the way Camila laughs softly at her.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. But I promise I'm not trying to hurt you, and I also promise that those two dumbasses will stay far away from you if they know what's good for them."

"You didn't." Lauren reaches down to pick up her bag, looking back at Camila. "I believe you."

Camila nods with a smile on her face and turns to head out of the bathroom. Right before she walks through the doorway, Lauren calls her name.

"And... um, thank you for sticking up for me. That was, it was really cool."

Camila doesn't reply, just throws a wink and a smile over her shoulder at Lauren before exiting the restroom.

Lauren takes a few extra seconds to calm her red cheeks down before she heads to class.

~~

Contrary to what Lauren promised her friends, she doesn't tell them about what happened in the bathroom. Mostly because she's still trying to make sense of it herself. One moment she's preparing herself to be humiliated, the next moment, Camila is telling her to trust her. They're most definitely not friends, and to be honest, she didn't even think that Camila knew her name. Why would Camila be so nice to her, someone she barely knew, and defend her like that in front of Camila's own friends?

It doesn't make any sense to Lauren.

She goes through the rest of the school day in deep thought, brushing off Tori's and Ally's concerns when they ask about her mood. She doesn't want them finding out about the bathroom confrontation. Not yet.

The problem is, the encounter is the only thing on her mind, and it's starting to give her a headache, so she really needs a distraction. When Tori suggests that they grab dinner at a diner, she agrees, hoping it'll take her mind off her rampant thoughts.

They decide to head home after school and meet up at Lauren's house a couple of hours later, since her house is on the way. Ally drives all three of them to the restaurant, dropping her two passengers off at the entrance while she finds a parking spot.

Tori and Lauren find a booth along the wall, and Ally joins them a minute later, sliding onto the seat beside Tori. After placing their orders, they settle into a comfortable conversation, content to be spending time with each other.

"So, you're sure nothing happened today, right?"

Lauren rolls her eyes at Ally to try to sell her lie. "I'm sure. I'm think you guys being around me put them off whatever they wanted to do."  _Lies._

"I guess... did you wait in the bathroom like you said?"

"Yes, Ally, I did, and nothing happened."  _More lies._

"I wonder why Camila did what she did yesterday. I mean, she's probably known about them bullying you for a while now," Tori pitches in.

"Probably."  _Liar, liar, pants on fire._

( _'God, Lauren, what are you, five?'_ she thinks to herself immediately afterwards, as she tears apart her straw wrapper piece by piece.)

"Hey, Lauren."

She whips her head up at the sound of her name and  _speak of the devil_.

"Uh, hi... Camila..."

"I didn't know you guys come here to eat."

"Yeah, um, we like the uh, burgers." Lauren glances over to see Ally glaring at Camila, but Tori looks about ready to pounce. "And the milkshakes," Lauren adds on quietly.

"What the fuck is it to you, huh? Trying to find every opportunity to bother Lauren? Can't you just leave her alone for once!"

Camila stares at Tori with wide eyes, because it's well known that most people would never talk to the girl like that. She has a reputation for a reason. Lauren does appreciate how protective Tori is of her, though. It makes her feel happy that her friends care so much.

Lauren jumps in before Camila can tear Lauren's best friend a new one. "Tori, relax, it's fine. Um, Camila wasn't part of the, you know... none of that."

This time it's Ally who speaks up, because Tori still looks ready to beat someone. "How do you know that? Did she tell you that?"

Camila doesn't look fazed by Tori's outburst. "Yeah, I explained it all to her earlier today in the bathroom. I told Austin and Brad to back off, and if they know what's good, they'll listen to me."

Tori and Ally give Lauren a disappointed (Ally) and betrayed (Tori) look. "You didn't tell us you spoke to her," Ally says quietly.

"It's... um," Lauren tries to explain. "Can we talk about this, you know, later?" she asks quieter, gesturing with her eyes towards Camila.

They all turn back to Camila, only to then notice the two other girls standing behind her. "By the way, these are my two best friends, Dinah and Normani," Camila attempts to change the subject, her friends waving hello behind her.

"Oh, yeah, I know who you guys are," Tori says, going along with the subject change, although Lauren can tell she's still a little tense. "I shared a couple of classes with you two last year."

"Didn't we have the same gym class?" Ally asks, directing her question towards Dinah.

"That's right, we did! I remember that you always struggled with basketball," Dinah jokes, attempting to lighten the mood.

Ally chuckles softly, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "Yeah, well, when you're four feet eleven inches, things like basketball can be a little difficult."

They all share a quiet laugh, Camila being the next one to speak up.

"I wanted to introduce you to one of my other friends, Zayn, but he didn't come with us today. Maybe you can meet him tomorrow, Lauren?"

Biting her lip anxiously, Lauren nods with wide eyes, aware of her two best friends staring holes into the side of her head.

"Yeah, sure, yeah um, that sounds good," she agrees, itching to run a hand through her hair to calm her nerves.

"And we'd love to get to know you better, Lauren,"  _Normani_ , Lauren remembers, says from Camila's left, gesturing towards herself and their other friend Dinah with a friendly grin on her face. 

"Well, I'll let you guys get back to your dinner. Talk to you tomorrow, Lauren?"

Lauren shrinks under everyone's gaze, nudging her glasses back up her nose. "Ye- yeah, uh, I... sure."

Camila smiles warmly at her, all three girls offering a quick goodbye to Ally, Tori, and Lauren before heading towards her own booth with her friends. 

Lauren sees the looks on her friends' faces and knows that they're going to say something before they actually do.

"Explain."

So Lauren walks them through the encounter, minus a few details here and there, but throughout her entire explanation, she keeps feeling Camila's eyes glance over at her from their perpendicular booth. Lauren can see from the corner of her eye every time the girl looks over, and it makes her feel uncomfortable under the watchful gaze. She doesn't know why Camila keeps looking at her, but she tries to ignore it as she answers her friends' questions. 

"So, what exactly was all that about 'talking to you tomorrow' or introducing you to that Zayn guy?"

Lauren doesn't hear Tori's question, too preoccupied with picking at her fries while eyeing Camila subtly.

"Laur?"

"Huh?"

Tori gives her a strange look but repeats her question. "Why did Camila say that she'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Well, it's for the whole 'looking out for me' thing, I think? I... I don't really understand it myself." Lauren runs a hand through her hair in exasperation. "Why don't you ask her?" She literally whines, a little fed up with the questions and the fact that she can't make sense of the situation.

"And how do you feel about Camila's actions?" Ally asks, not unkindly, but the way she asks it makes Lauren feel like she's speaking to a therapist.

"Ugh, I just..." she trails off, unsure how to answer. "I'm confused, I guess? And I'm not really sure where it's all coming from. I mean, if she really is genuine about this whole thing, then... uh, I guess the question is... why?"

"It's so out of left field," Tori agrees.

Ally sighs, like she doesn't have an answer either. "I guess the only thing to do is wait and see."

"Yeah, I suppose," Lauren says, deciding she's done with this conversation because she's barely gotten to eat her burger with all the talking they've been doing. It's significantly less delicious when the patty is room temperature and the bun is soggy from the ketchup.

Lauren realizes just how long they've been talking when she notices Camila and her friends standing up from their table, clearly done with their meals (she wasn't deliberately watching them, she's just hyperaware of them right now because of Camila's staring). They have to walk past Lauren's booth to get to the exit, and apparently they decide to make a quick stop along the way.

"Either you guys eat slow, or we eat too fast," Camila jokes as she approaches their booth.

"Pretty sure you eat way too quickly, Chancho," Dinah says as she comes to stand next to Camila.

"Yeah, you eat way too  _much_  way too  _quickly_ ," Normani chimes in with a grin on her face.

"Jesus, alright guys, you done making fun of me?" Camila asks with an eye roll.

Dinah smiles widely and throws an arm around Camila's shoulders. "Never."

To be honest, Lauren's kind of surprised with how laid back Camila appears right now, especially surrounded by her close friends. She's only known this girl based on the rumors and stories she's heard whispered through the halls, and has failed to realize that Camila is still human and apparently has a different side to her. Lauren knows that not many people would be able to make fun of Camila and get away with it (at least according to the rumors). 

Smiling politely, Ally places her burger down and wipes her hands on a napkin. "I think we just talk too much." Camila lets out a soft, genuine laugh at that, and Lauren decides she kind of likes it when the girl looks happy.

"Anyways, I feel like we're bothering you guys  _again_ ," Camila says, a smirk on her face. "So we'll leave you be."

Lauren mumbles a quiet goodbye to the three, pushing her glasses up her nose, but right before Camila walks away, she turns back to Lauren. "By the way, Lauren." She glances up, making shy eye contact with Camila. "You look really cute in that skirt."

Camila doesn't give anyone a chance to reply, walking away after her friends who are waiting for her by the exit.

Lauren's eyes go wide, feeling the warmth in her cheeks and praying praying  _praying_  that it goes away, but the smirk on Tori's face tells her that it hasn't.

" _Cute,_  huh?"

" _Tori,_ " Lauren whines (again; what is it with this girl and making Lauren whine like a little kid), lowering her head to hide her face behind her hair.

"What was that, Laur?" When Lauren glances up, even Ally has a mischievous look on her face as she waits for an answer.

She hides her face behind her hands, because nothing makes sense and everything is weird and Lauren is confused and it's only the second day of the school year for God's sake.

Now, Lauren knows for a fact that she doesn't have a crush on Camila. She still barely knows the girl and she's still slightly intimidated by her. But, like she admitted before (to herself only, thank God), the girl is definitely attractive, and the attention she's been showing Lauren evokes a reaction out of the girl mostly because no one has really ever given her that kind of treatment before (there was that one time, but Lauren doesn't like to talk about it because it's not a nice memory for her). She doesn't really know what to do with all of it.

After some questioning ( _"I don't_ know _, Ally"_ ) and lighthearted teasing ( _"Shut_ up,  _Tori"_ ), they pay for their meals and decide to head home.

Later that night, when Lauren is lying in bed and scrolling through her phone, she receives a notification on Instagram and pauses for a moment when she sees it's from Camila. It shouldn't mean much, the girl requesting to follow her, but it does to Lauren because Camila is attempting to reach out to her. Camila has no problem with interacting with her on social media and in front of her own friends, but it could be a different thing altogether to be seen with Lauren at school. 

Her finger hesitates over the  _accept_  button, but she decides to go for it, figuring she can always delete Camila later on if she changes her mind. Plus, she doesn't have anything embarrassing on her Instagram, just a couple of politically based posts, some family pictures, and a couple of selfies from when she was feeling confident. 

Lauren heads to her bathroom to brush her teeth before bed, and when she comes back, she sees a few notifications on her phone from Instagram. One of them says that Camila accepted her own follow request, and the other is a comment on one of her more recent selfies. She decides to read it before stalking Camila's profile (please, everyone does it).

**laurenjauregui**  So, Ally told me to post this because she said I looked cute. I expect a selfie in return but... this is for you Ally :)

 **camila_cabello**  holy shit planet green eyes attack u. god damn, like for real though, ur eyes are just... but i don't think 'cute' is the right word to describe u if u get what i'm saying ;)

Lauren smiles despite her mixed emotions and the conflicting past two days (also despite the slightly  _fuckboy_ comment Camila left) because the girl's compliments are making her feel really good, and she seems so genuine about them. She never thought someone like  _Camila Cabello_ could make her smile; actually, she never thought someone like Camila Cabello would put forth the effort to  _make_  her smile.

Deciding to save her stalking for another day, Lauren locks her phone and turns her lamp off, snuggling into bed. She falls asleep feeling a little less apprehensive about what the next day will bring.

~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know a "nerd" wearing glasses is super stereotypical but honestly i think it's a really funny stereotype. hell, i wear glasses and i do fairly well in school so i'm not even offended. plus, come on, lauren in glasses is like the cutest (hottest) thing ever.
> 
> i'm not sure how often updates will be because i'm writing this, your heart says just stay, and a one shot all at the same time. you should keep an eye out for that one shot because it's got me so pumped. i won't say much, but i will give you a hint. two words: body swap. 
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

"You better wipe that drool off of your chin."

Camila quickly reaches a hand up to her mouth, then turns to glare at Dinah when she hears the girl snickering.

"Fuck off."

"Hey, not my fault you chose to pine after Lauren from across the halls instead of growing some balls all these years."

Rolling her eyes, Camila shoves some of her belongings into her locker. "I'm making an effort now. Doesn't that count?"

"Yeah," Dinah scoffs. "Three years too late. Haven't you liked her since freshman year?"

"So what? I always assumed she didn't like me. I'm still not sure how she feels about me now, even though I stuck up for her."

Dinah throws an arm around Camila's shoulders, and the girl unsuccessfully tries to shrug it off. "Aw, does the adorable little dorky Lauren scare the big bad Camila?"

"Shut up, Dinah," Camila mumbles as she slams her locker closed. "She's just... she's so pure and innocent and untainted and just like... she's perfect, you know? She's too good for this world." Her eyes are locked on Lauren who is standing halfway down the hall, talking eagerly with Tori.

"Jesus, Mila," she hears Dinah sigh. "You've got it bad."

Camila doesn't even try to deny it. "I know. Ugh. What is it about this girl?"

"I don't know, babe, but she clearly has you wrapped around her pinky. And you're not even dating," Dinah says, looking over her shoulder as Normani approaches. "I'm going to head to class with Mani now. Try not to drool all over the floor please. It's nasty enough as is."

Acknowledging Dinah and saying hi and bye to Normani, Camila leans her shoulder against the lockers, gaze fixed firmly on Lauren. She doesn't know how the girl has never noticed her staring, because she does it more often than considered normal. 

Camila watches as Lauren animatedly tells Tori something that is apparently funny because the next moment, both girls are laughing, Lauren throwing her head back as she chuckles loudly. Camila's eyes zero in on the length of Lauren's neck that is exposed, wondering what it would be like to run her tongue along it. Their laughter dies down until Lauren is quietly giggling, and Camila can't quite understand how her thoughts can go from less than appropriate to finding Lauren the most adorable creature on the planet in the next moment. The girl's laugh is so precious, and her smile is even more captivating.

Lauren turns to speak to Tori at a different angle, and instead of staring at Lauren's right profile, Camila has an almost head on view of the girl. She runs her eyes over Lauren's face, and notices how the lighting in the hallway causes green eyes to glow radiantly. They look especially vivid and intense today, as if reflecting the girl's good mood.

The green of the school's lockers has nothing on Lauren's eyes.

Camila takes note of Lauren's appearance, her outfit consisting of a cute blue dress and a dragonfly necklace, her hair parted to the side and held back with a clip, and her usual glasses sitting low on her nose. Not even a moment later, Lauren reaches up to push them back up her face, and Camila has to stop herself from reacting, because seeing Lauren adjust her glasses is one of Camila's favorite Lauren mannerisms. It's so unbearably cute, and every time Lauren did it while they were talking, Camila would nearly burst a blood vessel from holding in her squeal (nobody is  _ever_  going to hear her  _squeal_ ).

Lauren's lips look a little shiny from where Camila is at, and when she focuses more on the girl's mouth, she notices that Lauren is wearing lipgloss, which...

That's surprising.

Camila has noticed the few (rare) times Lauren has applied a little bit of makeup, whether it be some mascara, a little bit of gloss,or some blush (and that one time she wore eyeliner, which had Camila yelling into her pillow as soon as she got home because the way the makeup had made Lauren's eyes pop...). All Camila is saying is that Lauren seldom wears makeup, so when she does, Camila obviously needs to take time to appreciate it.

(Because if the girl is  _that_ gorgeous when she's got a clean face, just imagine how much more intense it is when she's highlighting her unique features.

Seriously.)

Lauren is gesturing wildly with her hands, and Camila catches sight of purple nail polish, which just looks too cute on the girl. And fuck, Camila shouldn't be finding shit like purple nail polish  _cute_ , but everything Lauren is and does is always  _cute._  It's more than just cute though. Lauren is not only adorable, she's also stunning, and charming, and...

Camila watches as Lauren pushes her brown hair behind her shoulder while simultaneously licking her lips, her green eyes blinking slowly.

Shit.

Lauren is also sexy. So, undeniably, sexy. Camila can see the girl's curves outlined through her clothing, notices her plump lips and voluminous hair, and Camila just can't believe how  _sexy_  Lauren really is.

Yeah, the cute girl exterior hides it, but Camila knows. She can tell. The girl is sexy, and whether Lauren realizes it or not, Camila knows that it's true.

Camila recalls (vaguely, because her focus is a little preoccupied) their conversation in the bathroom yesterday, about how Camila promised to look after Lauren at school, making sure no one else tried to pick on her. She figures it's a pretty good reason to approach Lauren while she's alone because obviously she's just checking up on her. Camila decides not to do so right now though, because Tori is with Lauren and she seems to be doing okay.

Suddenly, Tori and Lauren switch places as Tori opens her locker, so now Camila has a direct view of Lauren's ass, and it has her mind going places it should not be. She bites her lip, because Lauren's dress is a little extra form-fitting today, and Camila is definitely not complaining.

Just as she's about to lose herself in what could be considered the greatest view known to man, two large hands cover her eyes, and Camila wants to whine at the interruption. She hears a chuckle in her ear and automatically knows who it is.

"What do you want, Zayn?"

Removing his hands, Zayn circles around to stand in front of Camila, completely blocking her view. "Don't look so happy to see me."

" _Hey,_  I was just—"

Zayn raises an eyebrow, looking down at Camila. "You were just what?"

Camila shakes her head. "Nothing," she backtracks. "Ready to go to class?"

"Sure thing," he says, reaching out to ruffle the hair on top of her head. She pushes him and his stupid face away and turns around to head towards their classroom. 

She supposes her leering will have to be saved for another time.

~~

Lunch time rolls around and Camila has yet to speak to Lauren because every time she saw the girl, either Ally or Tori was with her, so Camila figured she'd be alright.

Camila walks into the cafeteria with Dinah and Normani, but instead of sitting at their usual place in the corner, Camila leads them to the table that Lauren and her friends occupy, perpendicular to theirs (nobody knows that Camila deliberately chose the location of her group's table just so that she could watch Lauren during lunch).

They approach the round lunch table, walking up behind Lauren who has her back towards them.

"Hey guys, mind if we sit with you?" Camila asks once she's directly behind Lauren. She's close enough to hear the squeak of surprise the girl lets out when Camila speaks.

Ally eyes them for a moment, before hesitantly nodding and gesturing towards the empty benches. "Sure, take a seat."

Tori and Ally are sharing one of the two-seater benches while Lauren is alone on hers, so Camila slides in next to Lauren, bumping her hip since the girl is sitting almost in the middle of her bench. She watches as Dinah and Normani take the empty seat across from them, both with subtle smirks on their faces aimed at Camila.

Lauren squeaks again when Camila makes contact with her side, her fork suspended in midair (where it's been since they approached the table) as she stares straight ahead with wide eyes.

"Mind if I share the bench with you? These two" —Camila comments, jerking a thumb in Normani and Dinah's direction— "always like to leave me out."

Nodding wordlessly, Lauren slides over to the end of the seat, almost falling off of the bench because of how far she moved.

"Hey, you don't have to scoot that far over. There's enough room for both of us. My ass isn't  _that_  big," Camila jokes, enjoying the girl's deer in headlights expression.

Lauren inches closer to Camila, but only slightly because her left ass cheek is still suspended off of the edge, so Camila takes it upon herself to tug the girl closer until they're nearly shoulder to shoulder.

"See? Much better."

"Mhm," Lauren says quietly, staring wide eyed down at her food this time, keeping her arms as close to her body as possible. Camila watches intently as Lauren nervously licks her lips then swallows, her throat bobbing with the motion. 

"You okay?" Camila asks as she begins picking at her lunch.

"Uh huh."

"You just seem a little tense."

"Nuh uh."

Camila has to hold in her adoring chuckle because Lauren is hunched over her lunch, still mindlessly moving her food around the tray, and her elbows are tucked in tightly against her body.

This girl is seriously too cute.

"Lauren, relax." She reaches out to place a hand on Lauren's right forearm, and it immediately stops all motion, but Camila does notice how the fork is gripped just a little bit tighter.

"We're all friends here, right?"

Lauren makes eye contact with Camila for the first time today. "Uh, w– we... we are?"

"Of course. I said I would look out for you, didn't I?" She smiles warmly at Lauren, hoping to relax the tense girl.

"R– right. You did, you did," Lauren mumbles quietly, almost to herself.

"Exactly. We need to be comfortable around each other if I'm going to be 'your bodyguard', right?" Camila asks, using air quotations in reference to their previous conversation.

Lauren finally cracks a small smile, and the sight makes Camila feel like she's broken through some impenetrable wall. "That's um, true."

"I thought a good first step would be to get to know each other better. Maybe we could swap numbers?"

"Bu–... you want  _my_ number?"

"Of course," Camila answers, removing her hand from Lauren's arm so the girl can continue eating her food (or playing with it; whichever). "Why wouldn't I?"

"I uh, um, I don't know..."

Camila reaches into her pocket to pull out her phone. "Here. Put your number in and I'll send you a text so you have mine too."

She hands the device over to Lauren who hesitantly takes it, glancing up at Camila curiously for a moment before focusing on the screen as she inputs her information. When Lauren hands it back, Camila taps on the contact name, firing a quick message off to the girl. Lauren's phone buzzes on the table next to her tray, and Camila knows the exact moment the girl reads her text because her cheeks flush a slight pink.

Glancing back down at her own still open phone, Camila smirks to herself at the message she sent to Lauren.

**Camila: have i told u how good u look in that dress?**

"I... um, thanks, that's uh... that's really nice of you to, um, say," Lauren stutters out, simultaneously pushing her glasses back up her nose.

Camila has to take a deep breath before she can reply to Lauren.

"It's the truth. Although..." Camila continues, glancing at the other four girls who are preoccupied with their own conversations before lowering her volume slightly. "You look great no matter what you wear. I'm sure you already knew that, though."

Looking up with vivid green eyes, Lauren timidly bites her lip as she shakes her head. "No, I mean, not really. I just... I know I'm not really like,  _wanted_  or, or, you know,  _attractive_ , so it—"

"Lauren, are you kidding me?" The girl stops mid sentence, blinking in shock at the fierce tone in Camila's voice. 

This time, it's Camila shaking her head, because she just can't believe it.  _How could Lauren honestly think that? She's the most gorgeous person in this god damn school._

"Don't you ever, for one moment, say th— no wait, don't even  _think_  that, about yourself, you hear me? You are  _so_  fucking pretty, extremely adorable in like, the best way possible, beautiful, so, so beautiful, and, and, and...  _fuck_ , sexy too. I can't believe you don't see that. You're all of those things and more, and I hope you trust me when I say that."

Lauren is staring at Camila with wide eyes, taken aback at the girl's sudden outburst. Once she's absorbed all of Camila's words, her blush deepens into a red on her cheeks, and she looks down shyly, a small smile on her lips.

"You... mean it?" Lauren gazes back up, tucking some loose hair behind her ear. "You really think all of that... about me?"

"I have for a long time," Camila replies quietly, then widens her eyes slightly because she didn't mean to reveal that.

There's a precious smile on Lauren's face, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She nudges her glasses up bashfully, then rubs at her own arm softly. Camila doesn't miss the way Lauren's knuckles graze her skin because of the motion.

"No one has ever said that about me before." Lauren whispers, as if they're sharing some secret. "Well, I mean, Tori and Ally have, and my family, but I meant like, no one who doesn't really know me has ever told me that. So it just... it's..." Camila watches as Lauren struggles to find the right words, her nose scrunching up adorably in thought.

"Thank you," is what Lauren settles for. She stares deeply into Camila's eyes as if she's trying to express in actions what she can't convey in words. Her smile is genuine, and Camila feels like they've taken the first big step towards a real friendship.

(Of course Camila craves more than just that, but it took her three years to initiate a friendship; she figures she can wait a little while longer if it means she gets to call Lauren hers in the end.

[Then again, she's assuming Lauren would even want to date her.

She'll cross that bridge when she gets to it.])

Lauren's smile is suddenly cut off when someone places their hands over Camila's eyes, and she immediately knows who it is.

"Oh my god, Zayn, you're so obnoxious," Camila complains as she peels his hands off of her face.

"She doesn't really mean that," he stage whispers towards Lauren, claiming the empty bench next to them.

"Um, I really do."

Ignoring Camila completely, Zayn peers past her at Lauren. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Zayn," he says, offering a friendly smile towards the girl.

Lauren gazes shyly up at him, running a hand through her hair in nervousness.

"Hi, I'm Lauren," she mumbles, barely loud enough for him to hear.

"So how did you manage to steal my dear _friend_  Camila away from us?"

Looking up in slight worry at the emphasis on friend, Lauren flits her eyes between Camila and Zayn. "Oh, I– I'm sorry, are you guys...? I'm sorry, I wasn't tr– she just asked to sit here– but like it's not her fault or anything, I just didn't reali– like she just stood up for me so that's wh– but that's all an—"

"Lauren!" Camila shouts loudly, grabbing the girl's wildly gesturing hands between her own. She ignores the other four girls' curious gazes on her. "Zayn was just being a douchebag. It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong."

The girl is breathing hard through her nose, eyes wide and distressed. "Ar– are you sure?"

"Yes, Lauren, I'm pretty sure," Camila explains through a laugh, dropping Lauren's hands. "Seen as I'm like, not interested in boys. Boys like  _Zayn_  especially." She throws a quick glare in his direction for the anxiety he caused Lauren.

"Oh," Lauren simply says, her lips staying puckered in an 'o' shape. She drops her head, tugging nervously at the hem of her dress. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume."

Camila shrugs it off with a wave of her hand and a quick chuckle. "Relax. I don't mind. Also, you need to stop apologizing so much. You've literally done nothing wrong the entire time I've known you."

Lauren glances back up at Camila who has a cheeky smile on her face. Her face reddens under Camila's playful gaze, averting her green eyes towards the lunch table.

"Right. Sorry," Lauren says quietly, then realizes she just apologized  _again_  and blushes even harder (seriously, so fucking cute).

"So," Zayn interrupts, clearing his throat to remind the two girls that he's still there. "Lauren, tell me a little bit about yourself."

"Um, well... I like to sketch."

Zayn looks genuinely pleased. "Me too! I'd love to see some of your drawings sometime."

"Really?" Lauren asks with a grin, halting her fiddling with her dress. "I– I have some pictures on my phone, if you... if you want to see..."

"Yeah, definitely!"

Unlocking her phone, Lauren taps away at it for a few seconds before handing the device over to Zayn. Camila attempts to get a glance at the screen but Zayn grabs the phone before she can see anything.

"I made a folder of all of them, so, uh, you can just swipe through if you want."

"Holy shit, you drew this?" Zayn asks in disbelief, staring at the first picture in the album.

Lauren blushes. "Yes," she answers meekly.

"This is incredible! I have so much trouble with shading. And yet you just..." he trails off, eyeing the photo still.

"Thanks," Lauren says, then sits up straighter. "Swipe to the fourth picture. It's a variant to the first one, like from a different point of view," she explains excitedly.

Camila ventures another peek, but Zayn is so engrossed in the phone that she can't see.

"Oh my god, I love that concept. And you executed it so perfectly. It gives a totally different perspective on the situation."

Lauren nods eagerly, standing up from her seat. "And here, if you zoom in on the corner..." She walks over to Zayn's bench, sitting down next to him.

"I totally missed that! That's amazing. I'd love to see the picture in person."

"I can show it to you one day! I've got some others at home that I don't have on my phone too." Lauren leans in closer to Zayn, explaining each photo to him and beaming at his genuine reactions.

Camila stares at the two, mouth open in shock.  _How the fuck did Zayn do that? He says two words to her and has her all over him!_   _Not only that, but Lauren had no problem engaging with him, smiling at him, sitting next to him..._ touching _him_ , Camila thinks, glaring at Lauren's hand placed innocently on Zayn's forearm.

Turning away from the two  _traitors_  ignoring her, Camila frowns and glances up, only to notice Ally and Tori immersed in a deep conversation with Dinah and Normani.

"Great," she grumbles to herself. "Guess I'll just entertain myself."

She stabs at her lunch just a little too hard, but no one notices.

~~

Zayn and Lauren ended up conversing their entire lunch period, and Camila may or may not have breathed a sigh of relief when it was class time.

Her alleviation was short-lived, however, when she found them deep in conversation while she made her way to her locker after school.

Camila could see Zayn babbling on and on and how Lauren laughed with him as if they were childhood friends.

Arriving at her locker, Camila forces it open rougher than necessary, practically throwing her books into it. Her eyes are glued to the two speaking at Lauren's locker, and her eyes narrow when she sees them swap phones. 

_It took her three days to get Lauren's number. Here Zayn is getting it after three fucking hours!_

Deciding she's had enough, Camila slams her locker shut and begins to make her way over. She doesn't get very far before she's accidentally shouldered, getting shoved into the lockers next to her.

She whips her head around to notice Justin, one of the football players, looking back at her apologetically.

"Fucking hell, watch the  _fuck_  where you're going!"

Justin takes a step back, because while he's bigger than the girl, he does know about her reputation. "Calm down, Camila, it was an accident. I'm sorry, someone bumped into me."

"You should be sorry! You're lucky I don't beat your ass right now," she snarls out at him.

"Jesus,  _alright_. I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Justin repeats before he turns away and heads down the hall, not wanting to deal with Camila's attitude.

Camila growls to herself and turns around, only to notice Lauren and Zayn standing in front of her, one of them looking unimpressed and the other looking startled.

"Mila, what the hell was that?"

"He's an asshole, that's what!"

"You're unbelievable. He didn't do anything wrong."

"Listen, Zayn–," Camila starts arguing loudly, but one look at Lauren's slightly anxious expression has her stopping. She takes note of the girl's wide eyes, how she's gripping her backpack strap tightly, and it brings Camila back to the first day of school, when she defended Lauren in front of Brad and Austin. It immediately makes Camila feel guilty because Lauren probably hates to see confrontation like that, and here she is causing it for no reason.

"Lauren, I'm so sorry, I–"

The girl shakes her head, not making eye contact with Camila. "It's okay. I'm not... you don't have to apologize to me."

"I just," Camila starts, dropping her head into her hands. "I shouldn't have done that. Zayn's right."

"It's really okay, Camila. D– don't worry about it. I have to go... though. Ally drove me to school today and, and, she's waiting. Plus Zayn was going to walk me to the parking lot."

Camila glances back up, nodding her head slowly. "Okay. I... okay. I'm sorry again," she says mournfully.

"It's okay," Lauren responds, offering a small smile as they walk past Camila. Zayn just gives her a disappointed look, shaking his head as he turns away.

Groaning to herself, Camila turns around and knocks her forehead against the lockers, feeling pissed and frustrated.

_Good job. You take one small step forwards with her and three giant leaps backwards. Stupid stupid stupid._

~~

**Camila: listen lauren. again, i'm so so sorry about earlier. i let the anger get the best of me and i shouldn't have let that happen.**

It takes thirty minutes before she gets a reply back.

**Lauren: Like I said, don't worry about it Camila. I know you have a reputation and all, anyways, right?**

Camila stares at the text with wide eyes, because  _does Lauren really think that about her?_

**Camila: no, no it's not like that at all! it shouldn't have happened, period. i was being an idiot. i'm so sorry.**

**Lauren: It's fine, really. You give me a hard time for apologizing so much yet here you are doing the exact same thing :P anyways, Tori just got here so I have to go.**

**Camila: ok i guess... will i see u tomorrow?**

**Lauren: If you're at school then I'm sure you will.**

Tossing her phone onto her mattress, Camila falls backwards onto her bed with a groan. This was not how she meant for things to happen. She was supposed to be gaining the girl's trust, not scaring her away.

Camila rolls onto her side, staring straight ahead at the wall.

_What if this just proves that I don't deserve Lauren? She's too perfect for me._

"Ugh," Camila grunts into the empty room. "Lauren Jauregui, what is it about you?"

Camila figures she better start finding a way to make it up to the girl, because God knows she'll do anything for Lauren.

~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long. i've had my finals for the past two weeks so i've been pretty swamped with them. at least they'll be done by friday.
> 
> speaking of friday... who else is so fucking excited to hear the song lauren is doing with marian hill?! she's finally doing solo stuff and i'm just about losing my shit because of it. and then kehlani replied to a tweet saying she would definitely do a collab with lauren which... i pretty much died.
> 
> can you tell that i'm a lauren girl?
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> check me out on wattpad too
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

Camila ends up sitting with Lauren and her friends at lunch for the next few days because some cheerleaders (typical) had been talking shit about Lauren so Camila wanted to make sure nothing more happened.

And Camila wouldn't usually mind that, because it means she gets to spend time with her crush of three years. But Zayn has been annoyingly tagging along every single time, and she can't exactly tell him to fuck off because he doesn't know about her crush.

So instead she angrily eats her lunch in silence having no one to converse with because Dinah and Normani have completely hit it off with Ally and Tori, and Lauren and Zayn are constantly squished together on a bench laughing at their stupid inside jokes and finding way too many things in common with each other. 

It's pissing Camila off.

She knows that it's all platonic right now since it's only been a few days, but they could easily develop feelings for each other because of how easily they get along.

(Well, she's not completely sure about Lauren because she doesn't know how easy it is for the girl to like someone, but Camila  _does_ know Zayn. He's charming, witty, handsome, and is a master at flirting.

And he also has a thing for good girls.)

Camila knows that Zayn would never play Lauren. While he may not be aware of her crush, he is mindful of how Camila feels a sense of protectiveness over her, and he would never deliberately hurt her.

It's just... she really likes Lauren, okay?

The fourth straight day (not counting the weekend) comes of Camila watching (read: shooting daggers at) Lauren and Zayn get along  _too_  well when she decides that she needs to do something about the situation. 

"Hey guys," Camila interrupts loudly, capturing the attention of all six people sitting at the table. "We should all hang out this Saturday. Get to know everyone better."

If she puts a little extra emphasis on the word  _everyone_ , Zayn doesn't notice.

Ally glances over at Dinah and Normani, then switches her gaze back to Camila. "Good idea. What did you have in mind?"

Pausing for a moment, Camila runs through some ideas in her head. "We could do something fun and exciting like laser tag or a trampoline park maybe."

Tori and Dinah look at each other excitedly, but surprisingly it's Lauren who speaks up.

"Um, I... I don't think I'm going to go to that, then. I uh, I'm not good at activities like that and... well... yeah, I don't want to get hurt."

Zayn smiles comfortingly at the girl, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "Don't worry about it. We don't have to do something you're not comfortable with. I'm sure Mila can find something else for us to do." Lauren returns the smile shyly, peering up at him through her glasses. 

Camila clenches her fists and turns away. "Okay," she nearly snaps. "That's fine. How about we... hit up that carnival that's in town. It's only here for a few more days so it's now or never." Nearly everyone at the table nods in agreement, so Camila takes that as a confirmed 'yes'. "Awesome. The carnival on Saturday it is, then. Zayn, can you drive us since you have your seven seater SUV?"

"Sure, that won't be a problem."

"Fantastic," Camila says through gritted teeth, feeling anything but as she hears Lauren's giggle, Zayn flashing his charming grin at her laughter.

~~

It's Camila's first gym class of the year, and as she gets changed in the locker room, she knows that some girls are staring at her arms (and not out of lust; more like curiosity), but she's used to the attention by now (she's a teenager with numerous tattoos, who wouldn't gawk).

Most of the girls just get dressed near the benches by the lockers, so Camila doesn't think anything of it when she hears a changing room door open.

Then soon, Camila's not thinking anything at all because there Lauren is, making her way out of the changing room wearing the school issued gym uniform. It's not even anything special, just a black t-shirt and red shorts, but something about seeing Lauren in different clothes has Camila reeling.

Camila can see the curves of Lauren's waist and chest outlined through the top, but what's really getting her is how good the girl looks in shorts. It's possible that the person who approved the uniforms got a little too excited at the prospect of seeing teenage girls in gym class because the shorts are just a  _tad_  too short to be appropriate by other school standards. Camila can appreciate how a lot of her classmates look pretty good in the gym uniforms, but she has no doubt that none of them look as attractive as Lauren does.

Because the shorts are a little...  _short_ , Lauren's generous ass is proudly and prominently on display. The fabric clearly has to stretch to cover her appropriately which just means that her curves are neatly defined.

Camila watches as Lauren nervously tugs the hem of her shorts down when they ride a little too high up her thighs, but then pulls the waistband back up when the shorts drop too low. She can't seem to find the perfect placement, and she finally gives up when the students start filing out of the locker room. Lauren quickly gathers her hair up into a high ponytail which she starts to fiddle with, but doesn't have time to redo as she rushes after the crowd.

Apparently Camila stared a little longer than she realized because soon she's the last one in the locker room, so she swiftly puts her hair up as she heads through the door.

The students are all lined up in a row on one side of the gym, and when Camila notices Lauren standing on the end by herself, she promptly makes her way over to the girl.

"Hey, Lauren," Camila greets with a grin. "I didn't know we had the same gym class."

Lauren jumps slightly when Camila addresses her, turning to her and offering a shy wave and smile. "Hi... um, me either. I guess, uh, I mean, it'll be nice to share it with someone I know."

"Definitely. And I remember you saying you're not too fond of strenuous activities so I can help you out with that if you want."

"Really?" Lauren asks, nudging her glasses up her nose.

Camila just nods, trying to hold her smile in by pressing her lips together tightly.

"That would be really awesome, thank you so much."

They turn their focus to their teacher when he calls for their attention and begins his introductions.

"Lauren. Lauren," Camila whispers, nudging the girl gently. She's already bored of their teacher's droning and would much rather be talking to Lauren.

"Yes?" she replies, whipping her head to face Camila, her ponytail swinging aggressively behind her.

Camila grins, leaning in closer. "Has anyone ever told you how fucking hot you look in those shorts?"

Lauren's eyes go wide as saucers at Camila's bluntness, her cheeks quickly flushing a bright red. She looks away from Camila's gaze, tugging on her ponytail nervously.

"I– uh, well– I can't say th– um, uh," Lauren trails off, unable to express herself. "I really don't know what to say," she reveals honestly, wide green eyes glancing back up at Camila.

Letting out a quiet laugh, Camila teasingly nudges the girl with her shoulder. "It's the truth though. I mean... you've got some serious curves, and those shorts are doing you total justice right now."

Lauren goes to run a hand through her hair before remembering that it's tied up. Instead, she opts to fidget with the hem of her shorts. "I... I mean, I'm a little worried because they're, uh, they're kind of short– um, and I feel like everyone can see my... my uh..." Lauren gazes around briefly before leaning closer to Camila. "My cheeks, you know?" she whispers into Camila's ear before pulling back, biting her lip timidly as she waits for the girl's reply.

There's so much that Camila wants to do right now because she gets this overwhelming rush of emotions, but instead she just lets out a snort because, seriously, Lauren is too damn cute.

"Oh my god," Camila nearly snorts again, trying to keep her volume down so that the teacher doesn't notice. "Lauren, you're... holy shit."

The girl just looks confusedly at Camila, glancing at the other students as if she's trying to determine if she missed something amusing. 

"Uh..."

"I'm... I'm sorry, you're just... oh my god, you're so cute," Camila barely gets out, caught between wanting to laugh out loud or squeezing the girl's cheeks.

They heat up again, and Camila can't help herself when she pulls the girl in for a hug because she needs  _something_  right now or she's going to explode. From sexual frustration, adoration, or something else, she's not sure.

Camila lets go soon after, smiling softly at Lauren's adorably confused expression.

"Um... okay."

"I'm sorry," Camila apologizes with a smile. "I was serious though. Don't be concerned about how you look in those shorts, because I can say with complete truthfulness that you look fantastic in them, and you have nothing to worry about."

"Thanks," Lauren replies bashfully. "And um, I mean... you uh, look good in, um... yours too."

It's said so quietly that Camila almost misses it, but she doesn't, so she offers a smirk to the girl in return. "Must be our Cuban genes, right?"

Lauren giggles. "Right."

"Alright, everyone," the teacher calls, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention. "Since it's our first day together I'm not going to start you on something too hard. Partner up and grab a basketball."

Camila glances over at Lauren who's pressing her lips together and nervously fiddling with her ponytail.

"You okay, Lauren?"

"Uh, yeah I'm fine," Lauren replies, looking over at Camila with wide eyes then turning away. 

"I don't– are you sure?"

Camila can see Lauren's throat bob as she swallows before answering. "Um... uh huh. Yup, I'm sure. It's nothing to worry about. I just don't get picked as a partner unless Ally or Tori are in the same period as I am, which they're not, so that means I usually have to pair up with the teacher, and, um, this teacher kind of intimidates me a little."

"Well, I think I have a solution to that."

Lauren focuses her wide gaze on Camila. "Oh?"

"Mhmm. You have me."

Green eyes widen even further in shock. "Wait. You'd partner up with me?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, Camila grasps Lauren's wrist and tugs her over to the basketball rack. "If I had ever been in the same gym period as you before this year, I would have without a doubt chosen you first. Anyone would be stupid not to."

When Camila peers back at Lauren after grabbing a ball, she catches the girl biting her lip, her cheeks flushed slightly and a small smile on her face. She pretends not to notice and leads Lauren over to an empty corner of the gym.

"Okay, everybody," the teacher calls out over the chatter of the students. You and your partner are going to take turns shielding the basketball while the other person attempts to steal it away. You switch roles when the ball is successfully stolen. It's a nice way to get warmed up. Don't forget to keep dribbling the ball throughout. Begin when you're ready."

"Alright, who's going first?"

"Um," Lauren shrugs. "Whoever. You have the ball; you want to start?"

"Sure," Camila says as she gets into position, turning her back towards Lauren.

"Okay, uh, ready when you are." 

Camila begins bouncing the ball, making sure she stays facing away from Lauren. She hunches over slightly to better protect the ball and readies herself for Lauren's attempt.

Except she really didn't need to, because Lauren is keeping a good two feet of space between them, half-heartedly swiping at the ball, but never getting too close.

After about twenty seconds of this, Camila finally stops dribbling, tucking the ball against her hip as she turns to talk to Lauren.

"So, do you know  _how_  to steal a basketball away?"

"Uh, I mean, yeah, I know enough about it."

"You weren't really trying all that much though."

Scratching at her nose, Lauren shrugs slightly, not making eye contact with Camila. "I thought I was..."

Camila holds the ball out. "Do you want me to show you how? That might help."

"Um..." Lauren says. "Sure. Okay."

"Great," Camila smiles, handing the ball over to Lauren. They assume their positions, Lauren facing away from Camila and bouncing the ball in front of herself.

"Okay," Camila begins, stepping closer to Lauren. "First of all, you can't operate with that much space between you and your opponent. You'll never be able to reach the ball that way. You've got to get up close and personal."

She moves forward until her front is barely grazing Lauren's back.

"Next, you have to stretch your arms out further, almost circling your opponent."

Extending her arms out, Camila wraps them around Lauren without actually touching her.

"And then, you've got to make sure that you're making tries for the ball while they're dribbling it." Camila leans closer to Lauren's ear so that the girl can hear because the gym is getting louder with all the commotion from the other students. She notices Lauren tense up, the bouncing becoming rigid and her movements jerkier, and she doesn't miss Lauren's sharp intake of air.

Camila smirks, because this might just work for her.

"Kind of like this," Camila continues, her pitch a little lower and her tone huskier. Every time she reaches for the ball, she 'accidentally' touches Lauren, either grazing her arm or pressing up against her back. She catches a glimpse of Lauren's face, the girl's cheeks bright red.

Eventually Camila is able to steal the ball, but that's mostly due to the fact that Lauren can't even focus on bouncing it correctly.

"L– looks like you won," Lauren comments breathlessly.

_Zayn who?_

"Looks like I did." Brushing her hand against Lauren's lower back, Camila turns around before the girl can see the smirk on her face. "You're up."

"Right."

The ball is handed over to Lauren and the two girls take their positions, resuming the activity.

Except Lauren is still shy about getting too close to Camila, so every time she reaches for the ball Camila easily moves it away. 

"Lauren," Camila says as she continues dribbling. "Just do what I showed you."

"I know, I know. I'm... uh, I'm trying."

"Don't be afraid to get closer."

Lauren's arms disappear for a moment, and then suddenly Camila can almost feel the girl's warmth on her back. Her arms come back into view and she starts swatting at the ball more aggressively than before.

"Nice job, Lauren. Great defense," their teacher comments as he makes his rounds past them.

"What did I tell you? I knew you could do it."

"I... yeah, I guess so. Thanks, Camila," Lauren murmurs, finally successfully snatching the ball away.

Camila turns around and notices how flushed Lauren's cheeks are, but she knows it's not from the activity because they didn't exert themselves  _that_  much.

"Listen up everybody. Gather around." The students make their way towards the teacher, depositing the basketballs back on the rack.

Camila wants to ask Lauren about her reaction, but the girl walks away before she gets the chance to.

~~

After some more warmups and 'team building exercises', everyone is finally dismissed. Since it's their last period of the day, most students prefer to just head home and shower instead of using the locker room showers.

Lauren helps put the equipment away, so Camila hangs back until the girl is finished.

"Today wasn't so bad, right?" she asks lightly, trying to make conversation.

"Um, no, I suppose not," Lauren replies as she tugs at the hem of her shorts.

Camila steps ahead of Lauren, holding the locker room door open so the other girl can pass through. "At least we have each other for this class."

Lauren offers her a shy smile and mumbles a soft  _thanks_.

"Do you usually shower here after class?"

A brief startled look passes over Lauren's face, but she turns away before Camila can decipher it.

"No, I shower at home. Uh, it's probably not a good idea for me to, um, spend longer with the other students than I have to."

It doesn't take a genius to understand what Lauren is not saying. Camila feels a rush of burning anger at what she's implying.

"Lauren, if anyone said something to you or hurt you, I swear t—"

"N– no no don't worry," Lauren frantically reassures, taking a quick look at Camila's clenched fists. "I just, uh, don't want to put myself in those situations... you know?"

Lauren shrugs her shoulders as if in defeat, and it honestly doesn't make Camila feel any better.

"If someone is bothering you, you need to tell me. I said I would look after you, remember?"

"I know, I know, I remember," Lauren rushes out. "Nobody has done anything since, um, you know."

Camila narrows her eyes at the girl. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." She nods her head swiftly, her ponytail bouncing with the moment and her glasses sliding down her nose. Camila feels herself relax as she watches Lauren push them back up.

"Okay. But you'll tell me immediately if someone does, right?"

"Um, yes, I will. I promise."

Nodding her head in acknowledgement, Camila turns to grab her things to change into, since she prefers showering at home. She notices Lauren heading towards the changing stalls and calls her name.

"It's only you and I here. You don't have to change in there. You know I won't make fun of you."

Lauren pauses for a moment, glancing between the stalls and the lockers where Camila is standing. She fiddles with the clothes in her hands before ducking her head wordlessly and heading back over to Camila.

It's no surprise that Lauren is extremely shy so Camila is hoping that by (genuinely) complimenting the girl and encouraging her, she can help Lauren break out of her shell.

(The compliments are also because Camila finds Lauren extremely attractive, but one and the same really.)

Camila offers a comforting smile before spinning around to strip out of her uniform, slipping back into her street clothes swiftly. She turns to grab something from the locker and notices movement out of the corner of her eye. When she glances at Lauren, the girl is standing in the same position as before, her eyes trained on the bench and a slight flush on her cheeks.

"You going to get changed, or..." Camila asks, gesturing towards Lauren's clothes.

"Uh... uh huh."

Continuing on with her locker search, Camila is mostly focused on that, but because she's standing perpendicular to Lauren, she can't help but observe the girl.

Lauren starts by tugging her hair out of its ponytail, long, brown waves falling down her back. It's not pinned up and parted the way it usually is, so Camila can't really help but notice. As Lauren starts lifting the hem of her shirt higher, brown eyes follow as more and more skin is revealed. Once the shirt is tugged over Lauren's head and her hair falls back into place after being tousled around, the girl reaches down to begin removing her shorts.

Camila feels a little too much like the person who approved their uniforms as she pervs on Lauren so she glances away. That doesn't last very long though because Lauren is leaning over to pick her shorts up off of the floor and then her ass is just  _right_  there so Camila just kind of  _has_  to look at it because it's so perfect and round an—

She whips her head away so fast she's sure she's gotten whiplash when Lauren lifts her head up to peek at Camila curiously.

Once Camila is sure Lauren isn't looking anymore, she takes one more quick glimpse and feels her face heat up. Lauren is all curves and smooth skin, those dresses seriously not doing her justice because  _holy shit_  this is a woman standing before her.

Camila suddenly feels inadequate compared to the goddess next to her.

She knows she's done more than enough inappropriate leering so Camila forces herself to look away until Lauren is done changing. Finishing up with whatever the fuck she was doing with her locker, she turns to the girl who's collecting her belongings together.

"Did you need a ride home or anything?"

Lauren looks a little surprised that Camila asked. "Oh, um, no thank you. I drove myself today."

They head out of the locker room together, Camila holding the door open once more. It's quiet between the two as they walk towards the parking lot but the silence doesn't feel awkward.

"This is me," Lauren says softly, a dorky grin on her face as she stops next to a blue car.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Camila asks, feeling giddy when Lauren nods and smiles wider, sliding into the driver's seat.

Camila watches the girl drive off, feeling like she's in a little deeper than she originally figured.

~~

"Sorry Zayn, I'm sitting next to Lauren today."

Camila feels a little more confident about breaking up the two after their eventful gym class yesterday. She drops onto Lauren's bench, hiding a smirk at Zayn's annoyed expression as he falls onto the bench next to them.

"Not braving the mystery meat today?" Camila asks as she sets her tray down.

"Nope. Good luck with that," Lauren giggles out.

"That sandwich looks much more appetizing." She eyes Lauren's lunch enviously, because cold cuts are ten times better than cafeteria 'meat'.

Lauren reaches for the other part of her sandwich, holding it out to Camila. "Um, here, have my other half."

"What?" Camila asks with wide eyes. "No way. I'm not going to take your lunch from you."

The food is still being held in front of her face, Lauren's happy expression hidden behind it. "Really, I insist. I have some other snacks too so, uh, I won't be hungry or anything."

"Are you sure?"

Lauren nods enthusiastically, pushing the sandwich even closer. "Eat it."

"Um... okay." Camila grabs it from Lauren but looks up at the girl before she takes a bite. "Thanks," she says with a grin.

"No problem," Lauren cheerfully replies, going back to feasting on her lunch.

It seems like Tori and Ally are getting along even better with Dinah and Normani as they keep their conversation going between the four of them. Zayn eventually joins in when he's done sulking at being separated from Lauren, so her and Camila have some time of quiet to just eat and enjoy each other's company, which of course doesn't last long.

"Mila!" she suddenly hears a deep voice from behind her, a hand slapping on her back a moment later and nearly causing her to choke on her mouthful. "You're always ditching us at lunchtime now so we thought we'd come and join you instead."

Shawn and Ariana claim the empty bench, setting their lunches down and greeting the others at the table, introducing themselves to Tori and Ally.

"Um, yeah," Camila says through a cough. "I've been hanging with Lauren lately."

At the mention of the girl, Shawn and Ariana both turn towards her. She nervously runs a hand through her hair, widening her eyes slightly.

"Nice to finally meet you, Lauren. Although I feel like I already know you because this one—" Ariana gestures towards Camila, "—told us all about you."

"Shut up, Ari," Camila hisses.

Lauren gazes up at Ariana with a curious expression. "She has?"

"Definitely," Shawn pitches in. He catches a peek of Camila's panicked expression and decides to go easy on the girl. "Nice to finally meet you. Love your glasses."

"Oh, uh, thanks." Lauren nudges them up her nose, smiling shyly at the two.

" _Anyways_ , this is Shawn, and that's Ariana. They're also close friends of mine."

Lauren offers a sheepish wave, looking briefly at both of them before glancing back down at her food.

"Oh my god," Ariana gasps. "You have the  _prettiest_  eyes I have ever seen. Have you ever worn eyeliner or eyeshadow before? That green would look  _amazing_  with a smokey eye."

"Um, I've uh, I've worn eyeliner a few times before. B– but never eyeshadow."

Ariana gasps again which makes Camila want to roll her eyes. "One of these days, you  _have_  to let me do your makeup. You would look  _amazing_."

"Quit harassing Lauren," Camila interrupts. "You look amazing no matter what."

Lauren's cheeks go pink as she bites her lip shyly. "Thanks Camila. But, um... I think I would like for Ariana to do my makeup one day. It, uh, it could be fun."

"Yeah? Okay, we can make that happen. Then we can do hers and make her look like a clown."

Camila could probably listen to Lauren's laugh all day. She makes a mental note to figure out what things Lauren finds funny.

"Ugh," Ariana says with an eye roll. "If it means I can do your makeup, then I guess that's a fair deal. Just no dicks on my face, please."

Shawn lets out a snort and Ariana turns her head sharply towards him. "You didn't find it so funny when I did that to you."

"That's because you drew on me with markers that didn't wash off!" Shawn exclaims.

If Camila could sketch, she would create a million pictures of Lauren's side profile as the girl laughs. It's a view she hopes she never forgets.

"Oh please, you're exaggerating, Mendes."

"As if,  _Grande_."

The two banter back and forth, causing Lauren to laugh at them in amusement. Instead of participating too much in the conversation though, Camila finds herself watching Lauren for the majority of their lunchtime.

She has a feeling that this girl is going to be the death of her.

~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so, a few things:
> 
> 1) it's been years since i've been in the public school system (college is so different from high school so that doesn't count) and honestly i totally forgot how it works so forgive me if i make a mistake. (also i have no idea what the fuck they do in gym class so the dumb basketball thing was just a reason for them to get close.)
> 
> 2) this hit 3k reads today which is absolutely insane, especially since it only had three chapters so far. so thank you guys so much, i never imagined it could get to this point.
> 
> 3) my jingle ball concert was last night and i’m still shaking. the girls looked so good, sounded so good, just… i lost my wig no lie
> 
> (last minute a/n, like literally every time i think i don’t need any more, something else happens.
> 
> so. camila left 5h. honestly i… saw this coming and i didn’t at the same time. i knew she would eventually, but not so soon. not when they’re taking off like this. i guess i’m feeling a mixture of support, disappointment, and confusion. i think i just need to process it to be honest.
> 
> i want camila to succeed but i feel like she kind of screwed the other girls over a little. it seems so sudden to us, and i’m pretty sure it was fairly sudden to them too.
> 
> [in light of recent posts and leaks, i definitely have a different opinion now, although i am leaving my original one up. based on that audio of lauren, it sounds to me like the girls didn't know camila was leaving (being kicked out) either. this changes everything and honestly this is such a mess. management needs to clear things up fast, because the media is going to eat this up and spin it to make the girls look like the bad guys. like camila said in her post, she didn't expect to be leaving the group like this, and i still stand by the fact that i think the other girls didn't know either. this is seriously getting out of hand.]
> 
> this definitely put a damper on camren, but i’m not going to stop writing them, at least not for now. i guess this opens the door for laucy though, right?
> 
> too soon?)
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

They decide to have Zayn pick them up one by one along the way to save time and gas. Since Camila lives closest to him, she gets picked up first, claiming the passenger seat. Tori, Lauren, and Ally are next, cramming into the middle row, while Dinah and Normani take up the back seats. Once everyone is ready, they begin the half hour drive to the fairgrounds.

The carnival had already been in town for nearly two months and was wrapping up its final week. This meant that most people had already visited, so when they arrived at the location, they found it to be fairly empty.

"This is awesome. We're going to be able to go on so many rides today," Dinah chimes in from the back seat.

"Especially the rollercoasters. They're the best," Tori comments.

"Yes girl, you know where it's at." Dinah reaches forward, fist bumping with Tori in agreement.

"Alright, children. Get your little butts out of the car. And I want you holding each other's hands; we don't want to lose anyone," Zayn jokes as they exit his vehicle.

"Okay, papi," Lauren says as she jokingly nudges him, not sure where that bout of confidence came from. The goofy smile he sends her makes her feel proud of herself for stepping out of her comfort zone. She gets momentarily distracted when Camila pushes past her to walk ahead of the group, but Lauren chalks it up to the girl being excited to ride some attractions.

As they make their way through the parking lot, Normani strikes up a conversation with Lauren about one of their shared classes. She forgets briefly that they're in a parking lot and she should watch where she's going until a strong arm wraps around her waist and tugs her backwards and the sound of a car horn blares from her right. Lauren feels her cheeks heat up in embarrassment at being stupid enough not to look both ways before walking. It's then that she realizes someone is still holding her, so she glances up and back to see Zayn smirking slightly at her.

"I don't need to  _actually_  hold your hand just to keep you safe, do I?"

The car wasn't really going that fast and would have easily been able to stop had Lauren actually walked in front of it, but she still feels some appreciation for Zayn looking out for her.

"Thanks," she mumbles sheepishly.

Even though Zayn has unwound his arm from around Lauren's waist, his hand is still placed on her lower back as they make their way through the rest of the parking lot to the admission booths where Camila is waiting for them with her arms crossed and a strange look on her face. The fact that Zayn's hand is still on her makes Lauren smile, whether he meant to leave it there or not, because she's never received this kind of attention before. She doesn't question Camila's expression, too busy enjoying the warmth of Zayn's touch.

"Come on come on let's go," Dinah whines as she tugs Tori forward, taking the first place in line for the ticket booth. Camila lines up next with Ally and Normani right behind her while Zayn and Lauren take the rear.

When it gets to their turn to buy their tickets, Zayn lays down enough money for two admission passes.

"Two tickets, please."

Lauren shakes her head, attempting to shove her money towards the cashier. "No, Zayn, please, y– you don't have to pay for me."

Zayn blocks the booth from Lauren using his body, turning to her with a warm smile on his face. "Seriously, Lauren. Let me."

She opens her mouth to argue but he speaks first. "Please?" Reaching forward, he gently pushes her hand holding the money away from himself. He arranges his features into something almost resembling a puppy dog expression and it has Lauren crumbling at the sight.

"I..." she sighs out. "Okay, if you insist..."

"Thank you," Zayn replies, looking genuinely pleased, and turns back to finish the rest of the transaction. 

Lauren shoves her money back into her pocket as she waits for him, and when he turns around with her ticket in his hand, she takes it from him as she bites her lip and smiles up at him.

"You really didn't have t—"

"Nonsense, Lauren. I  _wanted_  to."

"How can I repay you?"

Zayn pretends to think for a moment as they make their way towards the entrance. "Just have fun tonight. That's all I want."

Looking down to hide her red cheeks, Lauren fiddles with the paper in her hands. "Thank you. So much," she adds on, glancing back up at him.

"Anytime, hun." The wink he adds at the end has Lauren blushing deeper and feeling giddy at what this could all mean.

"Finally. You two took forever. Let's go, let's go, I'm hungry," Dinah whines impatiently.

"I thought you wanted to go on the rides," Normani counters with a raised eyebrow.

Dinah rolls her eyes as if Normani is slow. "Well yeah, I do, but I'm also hungry. What's so hard to understand about that?"

"You're always hungry," Zayn comments as he places a hand on Lauren's lower back again.

"Okay,  _and_?"

Lauren tunes out the conversation in favor of taking in her surroundings, studying the bright carnival lights, hearing the people shouting in excitement from the tops of rollercoasters, and noticing the scent of fried food in the air.

When she glances around their group again, Lauren notices that Camila isn't there, so she peers behind to see that the girl is trailing by herself. She nudges Zayn's ribs to get his attention.

"Is Camila okay?" she asks then gestures behind them.

Zayn peeks over his shoulder and turns back to Lauren. "I'm not sure. She seemed alright during the car ride. Maybe I should talk to her," he says as he excuses himself, leaving Lauren by herself. She doesn't want to intrude on their potentially private conversation so she speed-walks ahead to fall into step with Ally and Normani.

"You excited for the rides, Lauren?" Normani asks.

"I've, uh, always been a little scared of them, but I'll usually ride them anyways."

"Laur likes to hold my hand in a death grip when we go on rides together," Ally comments with a grin.

"Gee, thanks Ally. Exposing me like that," Lauren says back teasingly.

Ally reaches her arm out to intertwine it with Lauren's, bringing the two girls closer together. "I don't really mind. Plus, we have other people here today so you can break their bones instead and give my poor little hand a rest."

Normani widens her eyes and jokingly takes a step away from them. "Remind me not to sit next to you, Lauren."

"It's okay," Lauren giggles out, steering them to where Dinah and Tori have stopped at a vendor. "Maybe I can, um, torture Zayn."

"Yeah?" Normani questions, her raised eyebrow aimed towards Lauren this time. "Something tells me he wouldn't mind being bothered by you."

"Sh– shut up," Lauren says, her cheeks heating up.

Ally gives her a look that says  _what was that for_ , but Lauren just flattens her palm against Ally's cheek and nudges her face away.

"Don't think I haven't noticed the attention he's been given you the past week," Normani continues as Ally slaps her for pushing her, then slaps her again repeatedly at Normani's comment.

"Lauren!" Ally squeals, her hands raining down on Lauren as the girl attempts to block them. "Do you have an admirer?!"

"Ally!" Lauren barely manages to say through her laughing. "Stop!" She attempts to shield herself by raising one leg up, but just ends up failing as she giggles harder at Ally's laughing.

Taking a few moments to catch her breath, Lauren straightens her dress out before replying. "It's, it's nothing," she says between breaths. "We... we're just hanging out and we have a lot in common."

"Uh huh," Normani says with a smirk. "That's what they all say."

Noticing Ally's shit-eating grin out of the corner of her eye, Lauren shoves Ally's face away again, snickering with Normani when the girl nearly stumbles into Tori.

"You're so mean to me," Ally huffs when she finally regains her balance.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Allycat. I love you!" Lauren coos, holding her arms wide open for a hug. Ally just glares mockingly at her, backing away straight towards Dinah who has finally turned around.

"Is it hug Smallz time?!"

Since her back is towards Dinah, Ally doesn't see the girl coming, shrieking in surprise when she gets picked up from around the waist, her legs dangling in the air.

"Dinah!" Ally's squealing does nothing to stop Dinah, who just spins in circles with the girl still in her arms. Tori whips out her phone, her curls bouncing as she laughs while recording. Normani cheers Dinah on in between clutching her stomach and making faces for Tori's video. Zayn appears at Lauren's side attempting to reach out and tickle Ally who the others had discovered one lunchtime is extremely ticklish.

As Lauren gazes around the group, she realizes these people are her friends. She can call all of them her  _friends_ , people willing to be around her and liking her for  _her_. It feels really,  _really_ , good, and as she observes them laughing and even Camila cracking a smile at their antics, Lauren realizes that maybe this year doesn't have to be as bad as she expected.

~~

They're all munching on a snack of their choice, Ally and Normani splitting a funnel cake, Zayn devouring an ice cream cone, Lauren sharing her popcorn with Tori, and Camila eating her own pulled pork sandwich. Dinah being Dinah, has already finished her hot wings and chili cheese fries and is now getting to work on her candy apple while stealing some of Lauren's popcorn.

"Jesus Christ, DJ, you're going to be sick if you go on any rides," Normani accuses.

"Silly Manibear. I have an iron stomach. I ain't worried," Dinah replies as she pats her tummy for emphasis.

Tori rolls her eyes, stuffing more popcorn into her mouth. "Well, you're not sitting next to me. Just in case."

"It's okay," Dinah says as she throws an arm around Lauren's shoulders, using that as a way to snatch some more popcorn. "Lauser will keep me company, right?"

"Um, uh, no." Lauren pretends to glare at Dinah, eyebrows furrowing at the nickname as she moves her snack out of the girl's reach.

"Let me love you!" Dinah screeches as she wraps both arms around Lauren, attempting to pick her up the way she did with Ally.

Lauren starts laughing loudly, trying not to spill the popcorn as she wriggles around in Dinah's grip. "S– someone," she barely manages to get out between giggles. "H– help... help me!" she directs towards her friends who are just watching and laughing at her.

"I've got you!" Lauren hears dramatically from behind her and turns around to catch a glimpse of Zayn popping the rest of his ice cream into his mouth and swooping down towards them.

The death grip Dinah has on Lauren slackens as she begins getting tickled by Zayn, and it's just loose enough to where Lauren can slip out of her grasp with most of her popcorn still in her possession.

"Okay, okay, mercy!" Dinah yelps, finally pushing herself away from Zayn's smug grin, her face red from the laughter. "You win, you win! I'll go bother Tori instead."

"Shit. Thanks guys." Tori rolls her eyes good-naturedly but accepts Dinah's embrace when the girl attempts to hide behind her from Zayn.

"At your service, madam," Zayn jokingly says as he slides up to Lauren.

Still recovering from her laughing fit, Lauren shakes her head slightly with a grin on her face. She places a hand on his chest, feeling much more comfortable around him than she ever thought she would be. 

"My hero," Lauren gasps out dramatically, blinking up at him.

Zayn wraps an arm around her waist and tugs her closer as they begin walking to keep up with the rest of the group. "Don't you think I deserve some sort of... compensation?"

The girl gazes around for a moment, biting her lip in thought. She glances down at her popcorn then holds the bag up to his face. "For the gentleman."

Pretending to look surprised, Zayn turns to face Lauren, taking one of the hands that's holding the snack and bringing it up to his lips to kiss gently. "You're too kind."

Lauren feels a blush form on her cheeks and grins with her tongue in between her teeth. They admire one another for a moment until Lauren looks down, unable to hold the eye contact any longer. She peers to her right to see their group walking away, and as she's pushing her glasses back up her nose, she catches Camila's eyes watching her, an unreadable look on her face. Glancing back at Zayn, Lauren nods her head in their friends' direction.

"Come on. We, uh, we don't want to lose them."

Zayn nods, and although his appearance is less intense than before, there's still this happy, beaming look on his face. 

Lauren is just as unsure about what his expression means as she is about the funny feeling in her stomach.

~~

"Are... are we seriously all going on  _that_?" Lauren asks nervously as she gazes up at the rollercoaster towering over them.

"Fuck yes," Tori shouts, dragging Dinah towards the line. Ally hurries after them, probably to reprimand Tori for cursing when there's children nearby. Normani follows behind as she finishes the last of the funnel cake, but Lauren hesitates for a moment at the entrance to the ride.

"If you want, Lauren," she hears from her left and looks to see Camila offering her a comforting smile. "We can ri—"

"Don't worry about it, Lauren! You can hold my hand through the ride if that makes you feel better." Zayn's voice catches Lauren's attention as she turns to her right. "Come on," he says with a grin as he grasps her hand, tugging her into the line.

Lauren looks back to see Camila staring at the ground, wondering what the girl was going to say. Dinah reaches past the group as Camila approaches them and pulls the girl into the front row line before Lauren can ask.

"You nervous?" Zayn asks, squeezing her hand in his.

"A little. I love rollercoasters but at the same time I'm terrified of them. Does that make me a masochist?" Lauren comments, smiling to herself when she makes Zayn laugh.

"I prefer the term 'thrill seeker'."

Nodding slightly in agreement, Lauren looks up at him. "I like that."

"I like you," Zayn mumbles, widening his eyes a second later when he realizes what he said.

"Uh, I mean, I like having you around. You know, since we've never hung out before this year." He quickly rushes out, staring into Lauren's similarly wide eyes.

Licking her lips nervously, Lauren nudges her glasses up. "Um..."

Zayn shakes his head at himself, looking away before peering back at Lauren. "I... I didn't mean it like that. I don't want to scare you away. What I meant was... I definitely have a crush on you, and I can tell it wouldn't be hard to like you like that. I think you're awesome, and so fun to be around. But you're also so gorgeous, I mean... wow, you know?"

Lauren feels her cheeks heat up, something she can't seem to prevent. She shyly looks away, not used to this positive attention from a boy (especially not used to someone having a  _crush_  on her).

She doesn't know how to handle herself.

"Seriously, Lauren," Zayn says as he gently grips her chin and turns her view back to him. "Beautiful."

"I... thank you," Lauren murmurs quietly, biting her lip at his tender look. She feels a flicker of excitement in her stomach from his admission, because no one has ever had a crush on her before.

Before Zayn can say anything else, Ally nudges them because the gates have just opened for their turn. Normani takes the far end of the four-seater row, Ally and Lauren next, and Zayn taking up the other end. He turns to glimpse at her and gives her a look of encouragement. 

Something about his confession has Lauren feeling bold. She's never felt this good about herself in a while, because the knowledge of someone being into her is doing wonders for her confidence.

As the ride starts rolling out of the gates, Lauren reaches down and intertwines her fingers with Zayn. She smiles as he tightens the hold and runs his thumb over the back of her hand.

She could get used to this.

~~

There's adrenaline pumping through Lauren after having gone on all the rides at least once with everybody. She's got this electrifying high going that makes her feel like she's on cloud nine, and she knows that it's not only the thrilling attractions that has her feeling this way. The attention she's been receiving from her new friends has had her feeling happier than ever.

So when Zayn asks if Lauren wants to take a picture together on her phone, she doesn't shy away from the idea of posing in front of the camera. In fact, when Zayn holds the device up in front of them, she takes the initiative to get closer to him and bares her teeth in a wide grin.

"I love it," Zayn comments after peeking at the picture and handing Lauren's phone back.

"It's cute," Lauren agrees. "Do you mind if I post it later?"

"Don't forget to tag me."

Lauren giggles. "Of course not."

They begin walking with the rest of the group towards the area that houses all the fair games and booths. Lauren catches a glimpse of Camila walking next to Dinah, her hands shoved into the pocket of her jeans.

"Is Camila okay? Did you manage to ask her?"

Zayn looks ahead to where Camila is walking as he places a hand on Lauren's back to guide her through the crowd. "She seemed a little pissy when I was speaking to her. She didn't tell me what was wrong, though."

"I feel bad," Lauren admits, tilting her head to the side with a slight frown on her face. "I haven't spoken to her much since we got here. I don't want her to think that I'm like... ignoring her or something, you know?"

Using the hand on Lauren's back, Zayn nudges her forwards a little in Camila's direction. "You should go walk with her. Speak to her, see if she says anything. She does have a soft spot for you anyways," Zayn says with a chuckle.

"I will." Lauren gives Zayn a parting smile and speed-walks to catch up with Camila. The girl doesn't notice her at first, too absorbed in watching her own feet.

"Hi."

Camila glances up in surprise. "Oh, hey Lauren."

"Um, are you, uh, having fun?"

"Mhm."

Running a hand through her hair timidly, Lauren gazes around with wide eyes. She doesn't have the best social skills, so she's not really equipped to keep a one-sided conversation going with someone who isn't Ally or Tori.

"Uh, are you... okay?" Lauren asks quietly, unsure if she's crossing a social line.

Camila shrugs. "Yeah, could be better. Just not feeling too well is all."

"I– I'm sorry. Can I... is there anything I can do to help?" 

Camila just shakes her head. Lauren is itching to reach out and touch her sympathetically, but her nerves prevent her from doing so.

Biting her lip apprehensively, Lauren lets out a quiet breath before continuing. "I wish we could have, um, sat together on one of the rides."

"Well, you were a little busy with Zayn so..."

Lauren doesn't know what Camila's tone means because she's not that good at reading people. "Um... are you, uh... mad at me?" she asks.

"What?" It's the first time Camila's made eye contact since this conversation started. "Of course not. Why would I be mad at you?"

"I don't know," Lauren shrugs dejectedly. "I just, I'm s– sorry for whatever I did to upset you. I don't want you to be mad at me."

"Lauren, no no no no," Camila says, leaning over to catch Lauren's gaze. "It's nothing you did, trust me. If anything, it's..." she trails off, looking away. "It's my fault. It's something I didn't do— or, well,  _haven't_  been doing —so I only have myself to blame."

Nudging her glasses up her nose, Lauren eyes the bright lights of the carnival for a moment before turning back to Camila. "Well, what can I do to help you with, uh, whatever it is?"

Camila smiles softly, reaching out to grasp Lauren's hand. Lauren breathes a sigh of relief because she really wanted to touch Camila but was too scared to make the first move. "Nothing at all, Lauren, nothing at all. Just keep being your perfect self, that's all I want."

"Camila..." Lauren mumbles bashfully.

"Come on. Let's go see how much money I have to blow through to win you one of those giant stuffed bears." Firming her grip on Lauren's hand, Camila tugs the girl to the ring toss booth, pulling out some money from her pocket.

Turns out it takes Camila nearly thirty bucks to win her first prize, which only ends up being a little plush tiger the size of a kitten.

"Here you go," Camila says, holding the toy out towards Lauren.

The girl stares at it with wide eyes but doesn't reach out for it. "W– wait. You were serious?"

"Duh. I said I'd win you something, didn't I? I guess I shouldn't have promised one of those huge bears though, hm?"

"No– but– Camila–" Lauren stutters out in shock. "You... you didn't need to do that! You just wasted all your money on a cheap little carnival toy. Did you know they cost like, less than fifty cents to manufacture?"

Shaking her head with a fond smile, Camila thrusts the tiger towards Lauren again. "It's not a waste if it's spent on you."

Lauren can just  _feel_  how red her cheeks are. She bites her bottom lip in an attempt to suppress her smile.

"Thank you," she says softly. Her fingers graze Camila's as she takes the plushie, holding it to her chest happily. Making a split second decision, Lauren lunges forward and wraps her arms around Camila's shoulders. She feels the girl immediately return the hug, circling her arms around Lauren's waist. Camila's chin rests on Lauren's shoulder because of the slight height difference, and as Lauren inhales, she gets a brief whiff of vanilla. 

It's suddenly her new favorite scent.

As they pull back, Lauren catches a glimpse of the big smile on Camila's face, which in turn just makes her smile wider.

Lauren turns to her right to see if their friends are still nearby only to come face to face with a giant stuffed bear. She's confused for a moment until Zayn's head pops out from behind it, a happy expression on his face.

"Took me a few tries at the basketball hoop shots but I managed to win this for you."

"What? This is for me?"

"Of course. I wanted to win you one ever since we planned this outing."

Lauren grins. "That's amazing! Thanks so much, Zayn."

Reaching her arms out wide, Lauren takes the bear from him, barely managing to hold onto it since it's nearly as big as her. She just manages to catch a glimpse of Camila over the bear's fluffy arm, noticing the discouraged look on her face.

The girl turns and starts walking away before Lauren can make eye contact with her, so she offers a quick parting smile to Zayn as she attempts to catch up. Her 'catching up' is mostly just her waddling as she struggles to walk with a giant stuffed toy in her arms as well as not drop the tiger balancing between the bear and her chest.

"Camila!" Lauren shouts, mostly because she can't really see where she's going. 

She's about to shout again when suddenly someone tugs on her arm, stopping her in her tracks, and Lauren turns to the side to see Camila looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"Careful there. You almost walked into someone."

"Sorry," Lauren apologizes as she exhales. Adjusting the bear in her arms, Lauren locks her eyes on Camila's face. "I'm sorry you're not feeling well. Please don't walk off again. I... I like hanging out with you, and I'm upset we didn't get to more today."

Biting her lip, Camila looks down for a moment as she takes in Lauren's words. "I was just trying to give you and Zayn some time alone."

Lauren would wave Camila's comment off, but she doesn't have any free hands. "We've hung out enough today. I– I want to spend time with you now."

"Yeah?" Camila asks with a cheeky smirk.

"Uh huh," Lauren answers, returning with her own smile. "Plus, I need help holding this thing. I'm pretty sure I'm going to accidentally plow someone over with it."

"That is like, ninety-five percent true." Helping Lauren shift the bear around, Camila takes hold of half of it, finally able to see Lauren's face properly since the toy is laying sideways.

Shifting her glasses back up her face, Lauren bites her lip as she leans closer to Camila. "Don't tell Zayn this, but... I like tigers better than bears anyways."

She pulls back, her mouth set in a wide, toothy grin. Reaching for the tiger that's still tucked against her chest, Lauren props it up on top of the bear's stomach, framed by the larger toy's arms so that it won't fall. Her green eyes flicker over Camila's own smile, and Lauren feels happy that she put it there.

~~

Later that night, after having showered and slipped into her pajamas, Lauren climbs into bed and picks her phone up off of the bedside table. She sits the bear up against her headboard and leans back into it, then lays the tiger on her chest and hugs it against herself.

She checks the notifications she missed and opens up Instagram to like some pictures. Recalling the picture she took with Zayn, Lauren taps on the plus icon and selects the photo. As she ponders on what to put as the caption, Lauren finds herself wishing she had taken a picture with Camila too. She remembers how the girl didn't feel too happy today and that's the last thing Lauren wants any more of.

Taking a few moments to brainstorm up a caption, Lauren smiles to herself as she gets an idea. After typing it out and posting it, she locks her phone, turns the light out, and climbs under the sheets, placing the bear behind her and tucking the tiger in between her arms.

**laurenjauregui**  Had a super fun day at the carnival today! Got a picture in with  **@zaynm**  (: wishing I could have gotten one with  **@camila_cabello**  too though ): oh yeah and  **@allybrooke** ,  **@torikelly** ,  **@dinahjane97** , and  **@normanikordei**  were there too hehe

Lauren can't really resist when she notices her phone light up, so she snatches it off the table and opens it to her post.

**camila_cabello**  next time we'll get a picture together for sure

**laurenjauregui @camila_cabello**  Promise?

**camila_cabello**  promise :)

Lauren grins to herself and locks her phone for good this time. She snuggles back under the covers and thinks about her day. 

Zayn admitted to having a crush on her. Even though she doesn't have one on him at the moment, she knows she easily could. He's charming, attractive, and makes her feel giddy every time he compliments her or shows her special attention. 

Lauren knows that if she gets closer to him, and allows herself to, she could develop feelings for him. He's definitely not a bad option, although Lauren doesn't really have many of those.

No one else has a crush on her anyways.

So as she lets her mind ponder over the possibility of being with him, Lauren feels a burst of excitement go through her.

She could definitely be okay with this.

~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would apologize but i'm not actually sorry.
> 
> to be honest, i didn't originally plan on having that camren part at all. but i didn't want you guys completely hating me so... there you go. i ship real life zauren so fucking hard, i couldn't really help myself.
> 
> this story jumped an entire one thousand reads after i posted my last chapter which just blows my mind. you guys are awesome for taking the time to read my story, so thank you so much.
> 
> quick little side note:
> 
> if you're hesitant about getting into this story because of possible angst, don't worry. this is not going to be an angsty story. i do plan on having some drama of course, but there won't be any depressing surprises.
> 
> also, i'm over camila leaving 5H. i am so ready for cute ot4 moments and solo camila to rise.
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> check me out on wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

Lauren just wants to go home already.

She slept terribly and woke up with a sore neck, apparently all the teachers simultaneously decided to pile on the weekend homework, and she's pretty sure some students were making fun of her during her english class today.

To top it all off, Tori is out sick and Ally had to leave early for a dentist appointment.

Lauren doesn't quite feel comfortable around the others just yet without Ally or Tori nearby, so she avoided the cafeteria and decided to eat lunch in the courtyard.

Shutting her locker door, Lauren rolls her neck as she heads down the hall towards the parking lot, thankful that it's the end of the school day and aching to take some painkillers for the headache that's forming.

As she nears the exit, she hears what sounds like yelling outside. Pushing through the doors, Lauren steps through and sees a group of students in a circle surrounding what seems like a brawl. The last thing Lauren wants to do is get involved in something that idiotic, so she begins to make her way towards her car when she catches a glimpse of one of the fighters through the crowd. 

Her heart drops, because  _it can't be, can it?_

When Lauren gets to the crowd, she doesn't think twice about pushing through to get to the front. There, she comes face to face with some punk kid and Camila in an altercation.

Some of the students are cheering, egging them on, while the rest are filming it, for Snapchat most likely. Lauren rolls her eyes, because she has no idea how she survived going to school with these dumbasses for three years.

Her attention is shifted back to the fight when she sees the boy wind up for a left hook. She clenches her eyes shut because she doesn't want to see Camila get hit, but when she opens them again, the boy is pinned down on the ground with Camila on top of him, holding his arms behind his back. She watches as the girl leans down, whispering something into her ear. Camila pauses for a moment as if waiting for something, then releases him as she stands up, watching as he backs away from her.

The swollen eye and bloody, busted lip on the boy make it clear who won the fight, and Lauren can't help but feel relieved that Camila is escaping with only a cut on her cheek.

Lauren watches as Camila stares the boy down, daring him and his friends to try anything. The girl smirks in amusement when they walk away and the crowd begins cheering her name. Gazing around the circle, Camila does a double take when her eyes lock with Lauren who is staring at her with an unreadable expression. Lauren can see the mood shift happen in Camila as her brown eyes widen and she suddenly seems way less confident than before.

Feeling a sense of satisfaction at the girl's reaction, Lauren turns around and begins to make her way through the crowd. She ignores Camila's call for her name as she heads towards her car.

"Lauren!"

She arrives at her car, searching through a pocket in her bag to unlock the doors. The vehicle beeps as Camila calls for her name again.

Lauren is about to step into the car when she feels a hand on the back of her shoulder, not grabbing her but instead intended to get her attention.

"Lauren, please, wait."

"What do you want, Camila?" Lauren asks, refusing to face the girl.

"Wait a second, please. It wasn't what it looked like."

That comment irks Lauren. "Oh, so you weren't just beating that boy up?" she sarcastically asks as she whips around to scowl at Camila.

"Just let me explain. Please?"

Glancing down at Camila's hands, Lauren notices the girl's knuckles are red and slightly bloody, and the small gash on her cheek hasn't stopped bleeding yet.

Lauren hates that she doesn't have a backbone, that she's too optimistic about giving people second chances. "Did you drive yourself here today?"

Camila furrows her eyebrows. "What?"

"How did you get to school today?" Lauren is about two seconds from giving up and leaving because she is getting more exasperated by the minute.

"Uh, Normani drove me here. Why?"

Ignoring the question, Lauren rolls her eyes as she gestures towards the passenger seat. "Get in."

"What? Why?" Camila repeats.

"Just get in the car, Camila!"

Usually Lauren would feel a little more intimidated speaking to Camila like this, but she's frustrated and annoyed and she just wants to go home, damn it.

Camila opens her mouth to speak again but Lauren slams the driver's door closed before she can talk. She starts the car and buckles up as Camila makes her way around the car, confusedly climbing into the passenger seat.

Lauren begins backing out but halts in the middle of the parking lot when Camila just sits there.

"Put your seatbelt on."

"Huh?"

"I'm driving, this is my car, we're not going anywhere until you buckle yourself in!"

Fastening her belt, Camila seems to finally take the hint that Lauren has no patience right now and opts to keep her mouth shut. The car ride back to Lauren's house is dead silent; not even her music is playing. She grips the steering wheel harder, trying to calm herself down before she has to converse with Camila.

Finally pulling into the driveway, Lauren shuts the car off and exits, snatching her bag from the backseat. She's just about to shut the door when she notices Camila hasn't gotten out of the car yet.

"Well? What are you doing? Get out of the car," Lauren snaps, huffing loud enough for Camila to hear.

She watches from the corner of her eye as Camila hurriedly unfastens her seatbelt and steps out of the car, rushing to catch up with Lauren as she makes her way to the front door. Lauren continues the silent treatment as they enter the house, removing her shoes and grabbing some water and Advil from the kitchen before she makes her way upstairs. 

Knowing that Camila is blindly following her makes Lauren smirk to herself because for once she feels like she has the upper hand.

Tossing her bag onto the floor, Lauren pops two pills into her mouth and downs some water. She heads into her en suite bathroom to pee, shutting the door and not caring about leaving Camila feeling awkward and alone by herself. Once she's done, she pulls out her first aid box and sifts through it until she finds what she's looking for.

Lauren walks back into her room to find Camila still standing uncomfortably in the same spot she left her.

"For fuck's sake..." Lauren mumbles to herself, but she can tell Camila heard because the girl's eyes widen at her cursing. Walking over to Camila, Lauren guides her to sit on the edge of the bed. She sets the things in her hands down and takes a seat next to Camila.

"What are you doing?" Camila asks quietly, hesitantly, because she's definitely picked up on Lauren's mood by now. 

Lauren essentially has two known states of mind to Camila: nervous, or cheerful, so to see the girl pissy and irritable has Camila doing whatever she wants.

Pulling out a gauze, Lauren dabs some rubbing alcohol onto it and leans in towards Camila.

"Hold still."

Camila does as she's told, hissing when the cut stings from the alcohol.

"Sorry," Lauren murmurs apologetically because she probably should have warned the girl. "It's going to hurt," she warns as she presses the pad to Camila's cheek again, trying to disinfect it as much as possible.

Camila sits still for most of it, only flinching a couple of times. Lauren finishes by wiping the wound dry, layering some antibiotic cream on it, and covering it up with a small bandage.

When Lauren finally pulls away, Camila has gone quiet and stares at the floor instead of making eye contact.

"I'm sorry," Camila whispers.

Lauren waits to answer, taking one of Camila's hands in hers as she starts wiping away the dried blood from her knuckles.

"For what?"

Camila sighs, rubbing her eye with her free hand. "For... what happened earlier."

Thoroughly cleaning Camila's hand, Lauren purses her lips as she reaches for some ointment. "Are you sorry that you beat that boy up, or are you sorry that I caught you doing so?"

"Both. I'm sorry for both. I shouldn't have let my temper get the best of me, and I wish you hadn't been there to see it happen."

"So that's what that was? Someone pissed you off?"

"I... yeah," Camila answers remorsefully, sucking in a quick breath through her teeth when Lauren starts cleaning the other hand with the rubbing alcohol. 

Lauren doesn't reply until she's completely finished with Camila's knuckles. "To be honest, I'm a little surprised that you apologized."

Camila chuckles quietly without any actual humor. "I had this whole explanation planned to defend myself, but... then you made me feel guilty for even thinking about using it."

Raising her eyebrows up in surprise, Lauren peeks a quick look at Camila before continuing to tidy the medical supplies up. "How did I do that?"

"'Cause you took care of me."

"Well, I wasn't just going to leave you there looking like you had just come from a fight club."

"If you thought I was bad, you should have seen the other guy," Camila attempts to joke.

Lauren arches one brow up at Camila, pausing from where she was heading towards the bathroom.

"Too soon?" Camila asks with a grimace on her face.

Lauren nods but offers a soft smirk before making the rest of the way to the bathroom.

"Hey Lauren," she hears from her bedroom.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Walking back into her room, Lauren looks at Camila who is still perched at the foot of her bed. 

"Of course."

Now that Camila has apologized and Lauren's headache and frustration have temporarily subsided, she starts to feel her nerves coming back because here she is in her house, in her room,  _alone_ , with  _Camila_.

_What was she thinking?_

"Um, do you want– are you thirsty?"

Camila furrows her brows at the abrupt shift in mood. "Yeah, I could use some water."

"Okay, well, uh, follow me."

Lauren leads the way back to the kitchen, suddenly feeling very awkward around the girl.

"What do you want? We have orange juice, sod—"

"Just water, thanks," Camila says as she takes a seat on one of the counter chairs.

"Right." Grabbing a bottle from the fridge, Lauren slides it towards Camila and leans against the opposite counter as she fiddles with her shirt nervously. Camila takes a sip with her eyes still focused on Lauren.

"You okay?"

"Huh?" Lauren asks, her head snapping up.

"Are you okay?" Camila repeats with a worried expression on her face.

"Yeah, yup, I'm good."

Capping her water bottle, Camila gestures for Lauren to take the seat next to her. "Come here."

Lauren doesn't make eye contact as she sits down, instead choosing to stare at the counter and bite her lip nervously.

"Of course I'm sorry about what happened earlier, and I feel so stupid for doing that in the first place. But... I hate that you had to witness it. I know situations like that make you uncomfortable, and I regret putting you in that position."

Lauren mumbles something but it's so quiet that Camila doesn't catch it.

"What was that?"

"I said," Lauren says, briefly looking up at Camila. "I hate violence. I hate seeing people hurt, whether emotionally or physically. I... I hated seeing  _you_  hurt..."

Gently placing her hand on Lauren's arm, Camila squeezes it softly to comfort the girl. "I want to stop, Lauren. I want—" she shakes her head vigorously to clear her thoughts. "—I  _need_  your help."

"What do you mean?" Lauren asks, keeping her eyes trained on the fox inked on Camila's bicep. The girl doesn't have full sleeves; instead, the tattoos are scattered around on her arms, each one a separate picture from the others.

"Help me change, become a better person. I'm not... I'm sure you know about my reputation. And while some of it is bullshit, a lot of it is true. I know that if anyone can kick my ass into gear, it's you."

Finally making eye contact, Lauren glances up with a bewildered expression. "Why not Zayn, or, or, Normani or someone?"

"Because," Camila mumbles with a slight shrug of one shoulder. "You're special."

Lauren gnaws on her lower lip as she stares into Camila's eyes, feeling her stomach flip at Camila's words. "Okay," she finally says. "But... on one condition."

Camila nods for her to go ahead.

"You have to help me too."

"What do you mean?" Camila asks with a tilt of her head.

"I'm sure you're aware, that, um, I have some, uh,  _social_  issues."

She holds her hand up when Camila goes to speak, quieting the girl momentarily.

" _Shy_  would be an understatement, but... basically what I'm saying is, I want you to, uh, help me, you know, come out of my shell so to speak..." Lauren trails off, raising her pitch towards the end of the sentence as if she was asking a question.

"You want me to help you with your confidence?" Camila simplifies Lauren's request.

"Y– yeah, that's what I meant."

Furrowing her brows, Camila scratches at her scrunched up nose. "Are you sure you want me to help you with that? I don't know if I'm the best person to ask... maybe you should ask Zayn," Camila says, more bitterly than she intended to.

"No, he's... I know I act kind of, uh... awkward around you, but you make me feel, like, good about myself."

Camila smiles softly. "Yeah?"

"Uh huh." Lauren sucks up some nerve and removes Camila's hand from her arm to intertwine their fingers. She sees Camila's smile widen and praises herself for working up enough courage to cause it.

"Then I would be happy to help you."

~~

Lauren takes Camila home soon afterwards. They find out that they only live about a three minute drive from each other, and Camila gives Lauren a hug and whispers another  _thank you_  right before she exits the car.

After powering through a majority of her weekend homework, Lauren finally takes a break, choosing to go lay on her bed and relax after her long day. Her parents are having dinner with one of Taylor's friend's family while Chris is staying over at a friend's house for the weekend so Lauren has the house to herself for a couple more hours.

She checks her phone because she hasn't looked at it since she started studying and sees a few texts from Zayn, Camila, and several from the group chat she's in with Tori and Ally.

Quickly asking how Tori is feeling and how Ally's appointment went, Lauren checks on Camila's message next, which was sent about an hour ago.

**Camila: i didn't get to tell u this today but u looked really cute :)**

Lauren blushes, grateful that Camila isn't here to witness her reaction.

**Lauren: Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I was trying to get my homework done. But... thanks(: You didn't look half bad yourself**

Something about texting the girl has Lauren feeling more confident than if she were speaking to her face to face. She supposes it's the fact that she can hide her reactions and that she also has time to gather her thoughts and come up with a reply.

**Camila: that almost sounded like a compliment :O and why am i not surprised... u have to maintain ur spot as the future valedictorian, of course**

**Lauren: You don't know that I'll get it for sure**

**Camila: please, lauren, my little sister knows it, and she doesn't even know what a valedictorian is**

Lauren furrows her brows at the message, completely missing the joke.

**Lauren: You talk about me to your sister?**

The ellipsis signaling someone is typing appears for longer than normal, but when Lauren receives Camila's text, she's confused because the girl's message wasn't long enough for how long she was supposedly typing.

**Camila: i mean yeah here and there**

She's not going to let Camila get away with it that easily.

**Lauren: Liar. How much do you _really_  talk about me with her?**

Wishing she could see Camila's reaction to her bluntness, Lauren instead rolls onto her side when her arms start hurting from holding the phone up.

**Camila: i was going to lie to u again, but all i had to do was imagine ur pouty face and i knew i couldn't. the truth is... a lot. she really wants to meet u**

The last sentence surprises Lauren.  _Camila's sister wants to meet me?_ She doesn't have much time to ponder over it because she gets another message.

**Camila: fuck lauren, how did u manage to do that? i would never usually give up that information even if dinah threatened to beat me. because she's actually really strong**

**Lauren: I don't know(: Must be magic**

The next response comes almost instantly.

**Camila: i know. it's cause ur special. even the universe wouldn't be able to say no to u**

**Lauren: Not true. I've gotten plenty of no's before**

Camila doesn't start typing right away so Lauren switches over to her chat with Zayn.

**Zayn: hey, what are you doing tomorrow? we were thinking of meeting up at the mall or something, maybe grabbing dinner?**

**Lauren: That sounds like fun. Who's going?**

**Zayn: Tori said she's still sick, but Ally said she's down to go. Dinah and Normani are actually the ones who came up with the idea. and I believe that Shawn and Ari are going too.**

**Lauren: And Camila?**

**Zayn: fuck I knew I forgot to ask someone. I don't know how I forgot about her**

**Lauren: Don't worry about it. I'll ask her. We're texting right now actually**

As soon as Lauren presses send, she gets a notification from Camila and immediately taps on it.

**Camila: well those people were clearly missing out. what a bunch of dummies**

**Lauren: Lol dummies? :P By the way, everyone is going to the mall tomorrow. Are you going?**

Lauren gets a text from Zayn but ignores it momentarily when she sees Camila typing.

**Camila: depends**

**Lauren: On what**

**Camila: if ur going**

**Lauren: Why would it depend on me?**

**Camila: cause maybe i want to see u**

The blush is back and Lauren drags a hand over her face as if she could rub it away.

**Lauren: Well maybe I'll only go if you're going**

**Camila: well then. looks like we're at an impasse**

Lauren bites the tip of her tongue between her teeth in an attempt to hold in her grin. She quickly checks the message from Zayn, ignoring it when she sees it's just him acknowledging her previous text.

**Lauren: Now you're the dummy. You going to come or not**

**Camila: ur the only one who could make me come**

Widening her eyes, Lauren chokes on air at Camila's text. She may be shy, but she doesn't live under a rock. She's not sure whether Camila noticed the hidden innuendo in her message or not, but it would have been hard not to.

**Lauren: So I'll see you there then right good awesome okay see you then**

She doesn't really realize that she's text rambling until she accidentally hits send.

**Lauren: Sorry I don't know what that was**

**Camila: aha ;) so you did catch on to it**

**Lauren: Catch on to what?**

Swiftly switching to Zayn's chat, she sends him a message confirming that Camila will be there (even though she didn't outright say yes) but the girl's comment has Lauren's mind reeling a little bit. She hopes that by playing dumb, Camila won't call her out on her reaction to that text.

**Camila: i'll see u tomorrow, lauren ;)**

Turning over onto her stomach, Lauren buries her face into her pillows and groans loudly. She regrets not removing her glasses first, but when she turns back over again, she can't help but smile at the ceiling.

Even though Camila made Lauren thoroughly blush, she's still excited to see the girl, especially after the agreement they made today.

Not only that, but she'll get to see everyone else who are slowly becoming her friends, and Zayn who might possibly become something more.

Lauren sends a quick text off in her group chat, asking if Ally and Tori want to video chat because she wants to share her happy mood with other people.

~~

Even though Lauren had been ready to crash earlier on, she feels hyper now and doesn't really want to sleep just yet. It's a little after eleven and she's already said goodnight to her parents so she knows that they won't disturb her.

Locking her door just in case, Lauren heads over to her walk-in closet and flicks the light on. She bypasses her usual outfits and crouches over the unorganized pile in the corner that she knows her mom never checks (she keeps it cluttered on purpose; her mom hates dealing with their messes).

Lauren slides the top layer off and grins when she sees the bag she uses as her hiding spot. 

Carrying the bag over to her bed, Lauren searches through it until she feels the smooth material she's looking for and pulls it out. Her leather jacket still looks new because she's never worn it out before but she promises herself that one day she will.

Laying it down carefully on the bed, Lauren reaches back into the bag, yanking out the rest of the clothing. She sorts the articles into tops, bottoms, and others until everything is organized.

Lauren pretends, just for a moment, that she's laying her clothes out to pick an outfit for their mall day tomorrow, and instead not just  _wishing_  she could be doing that. She doesn't have the self-confidence to show up in something totally unlike her (according to other people, anyways) and she honestly doesn't know if she ever will.

It's not a huge collection, the secret style of clothes she has, but it's something she's built up over time of trips to the mall. She'll usually end up finding something she likes while browsing for other stuff and sneaks off to try it on and buy it when no one is paying attention.

She doesn't really know why she continues spending her money on them if she's never going to wear them. Perhaps it's the brief satisfaction she gets, or the hope that maybe one day she'll be brave enough to try something new. She wonders for a quick moment if this is what Camila could help her out with: working up the courage to take a risk.

But then she thinks about what would happen if people found out. Maybe people would start ridiculing her, making even more fun of her than they already do. The thought has her gut twisting sharply and she quickly throws away the idea of anyone ever finding out.

It's safer if she keeps the secret to the confines of her bedroom walls. When she's home alone or it's late at night and no one will disturb her. Only then is she brave enough to try them on, wondering if someone would finally be attracted to her.

Her thoughts momentarily drift to Zayn's admission of his crush on her. While she accepted it without much consideration that Saturday, probably due to her adrenaline rush and excitement, now that she's thinking about it again, she starts to question the integrity of his confession. In the back of her mind, she can't help thinking that her first few weeks back in school are all one big joke. A giant prank that Austin or maybe Brad set up, recruiting their friends to humiliate Lauren. She wonders if one day she'll walk through the school doors only to come across everyone laughing at her for falling for their trick.

Thoughts like these are what makes Lauren shrink back in on herself, losing what little self-assurance she had. They cause her to doubt the sincerity of the people around her, to question everyone's motives. Which, in turn, sends Lauren spiraling into skepticism and anxiety.

Lauren hates it when she gets like this, but she can't stop her thoughts from going there.

When she had originally pulled the bag out, she had planned on trying on a few outfits to entertain and indulge herself, but now she just feels bitter about it.

Roughly shoving the clothes back into their bag (but being gentler with her jacket), she hurls the bundle into her closet and kicks the door shut angrily. Lauren turns off the lights and throws herself into bed, curling up under the covers that she pulls up to her chin. She glares resentfully at her bathroom door while wishing her stupid self-deprecating thoughts away.

Lauren finally falls asleep nearly two hours later to troublesome dreams.

~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know that last part comes across as super corny, but honestly i can relate to lauren in that situation. i dress a certain way, and while i'm not unhappy with my style, i wish i had more confidence to try new things. i'm a little like lauren where i'm too shy and worried about what other people will think, which is dumb but it is what it is. so yeah it's a little stupid but it plays into the whole trope of lauren not having a lot of self-confidence.
> 
> anyways here's more camren to make up for all that zauren that i'm still not apologizing for.
> 
> also camila's tats are basically like kehlani's on her left arm. how they're kind of spaced out and not really a full sleeve. so if you were curious you could just look her up. 
> 
> (or you know you could just look kehlani up because she's fucking gorgeous. whichever, you do you)
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> check me out on wattpad
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

**Camila: hey lauren do u need a ride to the mall?**

**Lauren: No that's okay! Ally is driving us there. We're meeting at 4 right?**

**Camila: yes ma'am :) see u then**

Before Camila can do anything else, a heavy weight drops on top of her back.

"You're so heavy. Get off of me, DJ." Camila's groan is muffled as her face gets pushed into the bedspread.

"Yeah, Dinah," Normani chimes in from where she's spinning in her desk chair. "You don't want to kill Mila before she has a chance to declare her undying love for Lauren."

"Oh yeah, of course not!" Dinah agrees loudly in Camila's ear but makes no move to get off of her.

Camila blindly tosses a pillow at Normani but of course completely misses the girl. After some struggling, she's finally able to roll out from underneath Dinah and Camila sits up as she throws a glare at Normani. "I'm not in love with Lauren."

"I don't know. I mean, when you're into someone for three years, I don't think that can be called a crush anymore," Normani argues.

"More like an obsession," Dinah pitches in, dodging the pillow Camila lobs at her.

"Shut up you assholes. Don't go throwing the L word around. I just really like her, okay?"

Normani pouts sympathetically at the girl, finally pausing her swiveling. "You're right. But are you every going to actually do something about it?"

"I'm trying," Camila groans, flinging herself backwards onto the lone remaining pillow and rubbing at her eyes with the heels of her hands. "This shit is hard."

"Well you better do something soon, before Zayn makes a move. Lauren likes his attention, you can tell," Dinah says, lying down next to Camila.

"Mila," Normani begins. "You should really tell him that you like Lauren. You know what he's like. He'll back off because he cares about you."

Glancing at Normani with tired eyes, Camila ponders over the girl's words. 

Why  _hasn't_  she told Zayn yet? Camila knows that if she admitted her crush on Lauren to him, he would respect it and stop making advances. He's one of her closest friends. Hell, the guy would get involved in fights that he had nothing to do with just so that Camila wouldn't have to deal with them alone. He's one of Camila's closest friends and would never make a move on someone she likes.

"You're right. I should tell him."

"Fuck yeah I'm right, I'm always right."

"No, not really," Dinah comments from where she's examining her nails.

Normani throws a dirty look at Dinah that the girl completely misses. "I don't recall asking you, ho."

"You didn't have to."

"Mila," Normani whines from her seat. "Smack Dinah for me."

Camila rolls over away from the two, unlocking her phone and tapping on an app. "No. I'm busy. I need to beat my high score in Flippy Bottle."

All of a sudden, a shadow looms over Camila and she gazes up to see Normani's face haloed by her dark hair. "I bet that if Lauren asked, you would have done it right away."

Camila feels movement behind her as Dinah sits up to join in on the teasing. "I bet you would do anything for Lauren."

"Anything she wanted." Normani draws out her words, a smirk on her face at Camila's narrowed eyes.

"Oh my god, Mani!" Dinah suddenly exclaims, bouncing up onto her knees. "Lauren would totally top Camila!"

Bursting into loud laughter, Normani collapses back into her desk chair as Dinah joins in. 

"Shut the fuck up, Normani!" Camila shouts but it pretty much goes unnoticed. She would throw a pillow at the girl but she doesn't want to use the one she's lying on. "I'm not a bottom!"

"Maybe not usually, but with this girl you would be," Normani barely gets out between her snickering.

Flaring her nostrils, Camila locks her phone and sits up, scowling at the two girls in hysterics. "I'm leaving. I'll see you two assholes at the mall."

Throwing herself forward, Dinah wraps her arms tightly around Camila's waist, effectively preventing the girl from standing up. "No! Don't leave, Mila. We're just joking."

"Yeah, we're sorry," Normani offers with a pout, but there's still a small smirk that she can't keep off of her face.

"I'm not a bottom," Camila whispers, an angry pout on her face.

Dinah pats the girl on the shoulder, sitting back with a grin. "Whatever you say, honey."

~~

"Hello, guys!" Ally greets happily as the three girls approach the table.

Camila returns the grin Ally sends her, smiling even wider when she sees Lauren wave nervously but friendly at them.

"Hey Dinah, Normani. H– hi Camila," Lauren stutters cutely.

Camila is about to take the other seat next to Lauren, the one that Ally isn't occupying, when Dinah plops herself onto it before Camila can.

"What's up, Lauser? You going to do some shopping today?"

"Um, yeah, maybe."

Gripping the chair that was supposed to be hers, Camila huffs as Dinah keeps making conversation with Lauren. She sees Dinah glance at her with a mischievous smirk before turning back to Lauren and standing up. "I know Camila has just been  _dying_  all day to see you, so I won't keep you from her any longer."

As Dinah walks away from the two with a shit-eating grin on her face, Camila has to reign in the urge to smack it. She knows Lauren hates violence, so instead she attempts to hide her flushed face and claims her seat next to Lauren (she did say that she wants to change, and Lauren being here influenced her restraint, so she supposes the girl is helping her, even unintentionally).

"Don't listen to her," Camila says, trying to cover up her blush with an eye roll. "Dinah just likes to fuck with people."

The giggle Lauren lets out tells Camila that the girl doesn't quite believe her.

Lauren reaches her arm out to grab a cup, taking a few sips before setting it back down on the table. Camila sees the  _Tropical Smoothie Cafe_  logo on the side in between Lauren's fingers that are still wrapped around it.

"What flavor did you get?" Camila asks, nodding towards the smoothie.

"It's called, um, Paradise Point, I think."

Camila nods although she's not familiar with that flavor. "I don't think I've tried that one before."

Taking another sip, Lauren swirls the straw around, mixing the fruit juice with the ice. "There's, uh... strawberries, banana, and pineapple in it." She takes another gulp, hesitating before holding it out towards Camila. "Di– do you want to try some? It's delicious."

Camila raises her eyebrows, a little surprised that Lauren offered. "Sure," she says, but instead of accepting the cup from Lauren, she just leans forward, grasping the straw between her lips and taking a few pulls of the fruity drink while keeping eye contact with Lauren.

When Camila finally leans back and notices Lauren's flushed cheeks, she smiles fondly to herself because it's just too easy to get a reaction out of this girl.

"Hey guys," Camila hears behind her and turns around to see Shawn smiling at them.

"Hope you weren't waiting too long," Ariana pitches in from next to him.

"No, we just got here," Normani explains. "Plus we're still waiting on Zayn."

Camila feels a little grateful that he's running late. He's one of her best friends and all, but... is it so bad that she wants a little alone time with her crush?

"Oh, I just got a text from him. He said he's running late so he'll just meet us at one of the stores," Shawn reads off of his phone.

"So then, where should we go?" Ariana asks. "Because, I mean... I'm not sure Shawn wants to follow us all to like,  _Victoria's Secret_  or something."

"Well, it depends on what I get to see." He smirks at Ariana until she rolls her eyes and shoves him. "Just kidding. Honestly, I'm cool with anything. Where do you guys want to go?"

Standing up from her seat, Dinah walks over to Shawn with a pout on her face. "But I wanted to see you try on the new Pink collection."

The giggle Lauren lets out from next to Camila has her stomach doing flips.

"Fat chance, DJ. You can recruit Zayn for that, thank you very much."

Suddenly, Camila gets an idea and decides to speak up. "Why don't we split into two separate groups? And then when Zayn arrives, he can just meet up with one of them." Truthfully, Camila is hoping that he'll meet up with the group that doesn't have her or Lauren in it so that she can get extra alone time with the girl.

In the end, they all decide to go with Camila's suggestion. Normani, Dinah, Shawn, and Ariana make up one group (deciding to go to  _Victoria's Secret_  after all because Normani wanted a new swimsuit [Shawn jokingly promises he'll behave but still gets smacked by the three girls]). Meanwhile, Ally, Camila, and Lauren choose to head to  _H &M_, seeing if they can find some new outfits for themselves.

Rising from her chair, Camila offers her hand out to help Lauren up. She doesn't let go once the girl is stand, and they head out of the cafeteria behind Ally, Lauren blushing at their joined hands while sipping her smoothie.

Lauren wordlessly holds the straw up to Camila who gently squeezes the girl's hand in a silent  _thank you_  as she takes a drink.

“Are you going to get anything, Ally?” Lauren reaches forward to nudge the girl, accepting the arm Ally hooks through hers.

“Yeah, probably,” Ally replies. “I want to get a new pair of jeans. Remember that snap I sent you of the chili Tori spilled on me?” Ally waits for Lauren’s nod before continuing. “Well, the stain didn’t come out. Thank God the stuff wasn’t hot anymore.”

Lauren lets out a laugh, clamping her mouth shut embarrassedly when it comes out louder than she meant for it to. “Oopsies,” she giggles adorably (this girl fucking said  _oopses_ ; Camila doesn’t know how she’s going to survive being  _just_  friends with her). “That was really funny though! Tori was sending me snaps of you yelling at her.”

“ _That's_  what she was doing? I should have known.”

Ally continues telling Lauren about that day, meanwhile Camila is content to just hold hands with Lauren and watch her. The girl seems so comfortable and relaxed and at ease, and it makes Camila really happy to see it. 

Camila intertwines their fingers, but Lauren is so engaged in her conversation that she doesn’t even notice the change in position and instead just grips Camila’s hand tighter.

They finally arrive at the store and decide to follow Ally and help her pick out a pair of pants. Lauren stands off to the side, clutching her smoothie in both hands as she cutely sips at it, gazing around the store with wide eyes.

As Ally is sifting through the selection, she picks up a pair of dark gray jeans and inspects them. “These would probably look really cute on you, Camila.”

“Yeah?” Camila asks, then nods in approval to herself after examining them because they’re definitely her style.

“What do you think, Lauren?” Camila spins around to ask the girl but is met with nothing but an empty space that Lauren had previously been occupying. “Where did Lauren go?”

Ally only glances up briefly before resuming her search. “Oh, don’t worry about her. She always disappears while we’re shopping.”

Camila can’t help but feel a little disappointed that Lauren isn’t with them, but she doesn’t want to come across as obsessed with the girl (she’s not obsessed, okay Dinah?), so instead she opts to finish helping Ally out.

Finally finding a pair of white washed jeans she likes, Ally leads the way to the dressing rooms to try them on and ensure that they fit correctly. Camila waits around the corner at the entrance to the changing area, promising to tell Ally how the pants look on her. She can’t see any of the dressing room doors because they’re all hidden behind a wall, but Camila definitely hears the muffled  _Lauren?_  Ally lets out.

She can’t make out any of what Lauren is saying because the girl is speaking too quietly, but she does pick up bits and pieces of Ally’s voice.

“ _What_  […]  _trying on_?”

“ _I didn't know_  […]  _stuff like that._ ”

“[…]  _very different_  […]  _usual clothes_  […]”

“[…]  _your closet_?”

“ _Calm down_. […]  _won't tell_  […]”

Suddenly it dawns on Camila that she is very inappropriately eavesdropping on a private conversation. Pulling her phone out, she deliberately ignores their hushed voices and tries to distract herself by checking Instagram.

A couple of minutes pass before Ally appears wearing her new jeans, calling Camila’s name to get her attention.

“What do you think?”

Gesturing with her hand for Ally to spin around, Camila nods in approval before offering a genuine smile to the girl. “I love them. They look good on you.”

“Thanks, Mila,” Ally says with a grin, disappearing behind the wall to head back to her changing room.

It’s only a few moments later when Lauren emerges from around the corner, stopping in her tracks when she sees Camila standing near the exit. She doesn’t miss the way Lauren hides whatever she’s holding behind her back.

“Oh hey, Lauren, I didn’t know you were in here. Did you try something on?” Camila is honestly just amused at how flustered Lauren looks, so yeah, she’s being a little shit.

“Um, uh, yeah– I uh, it didn’t, uh, fit so I just… um, I’m not going to– you know, uh, I’ll just go p– put it back.” The way Lauren is stuttering and nervously rocking on her heels has Camila feeling a  _little_  bad for teasing the girl.

“Alright. You do that. I’ll just stay here and wait for Ally.”

Camila doesn’t move from her spot near the entrance and laughs slightly to herself at how Lauren tries her very hardest to make sure that whatever she’s holding stays hidden behind her back, even when she goes to pass Camila.

While Camila does stay near the changing rooms to wait for Ally, she also watches as Lauren inconspicuously (not really) heads over to the registers to purchase whatever she’s trying so hard to hide. Camila wonders why it is that Lauren is so shy about it, because based on the girl’s wardrobe it’s probably just another skirt or adorable blouse or something. That’s the extent of Lauren’s style that everybody in school already knows about, so unless it’s something different and  _not_  Lauren, Camila doesn’t really understand the girl’s behavior.

~~

Camila hates wasting her lunch period by using the bathroom, especially since the juniors got the worst time slot this year (she knows the juniors get the worst lunch time and the seniors get the best one, so she can’t wait for next year), but she's about to burst so she sucks it up and heads to the nearest restroom. She'll be a little late to lunch, but at least the bathroom she’s near is one of the few that's usually empty so she'll most likely have it to herself.

When Camila pulls open the door, she's surprised to see that someone's already in there. Green eyes whip up to her as she enters the restroom, and Camila smiles at how cute Lauren looks (she always looks cute) with her fishtail braid and her startled expression.

"Hey, Lauren," Camila greets with a wide smile. Only then does she notice that the front of Lauren's shirt is stained and damp and the girl is clutching a wet paper towel in one hand.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, uh huh, I'm fine," Lauren says quickly.

"What happened?" Camila asks as she walks closer to Lauren.

"N– nothing, don't worry. Aus– I mean someone, just uh, accidentally walked into me in the hallways, and, um, spilled their soda on my shirt. But... it was my fault really. I– I wasn't looking where I was going."

Camila narrows her eyes at the girl, because something tells her that the girl is not being completely truthful. She doesn't question Lauren, however, because she doesn't think that they're on that level of friendship. They're barely acquaintances.

"Well, I don't think that stain is coming out until you throw it in the wash."

Lauren doesn't reply, just shrugs sadly as she continues to wipe vigorously with the paper towel.

"Do you have a change of clothes?" Camila continues, stepping closer. 

Pausing her wiping, Lauren gazes up at Camila with her lips in a pout and her brows furrowed, a dejected look on her face. "No," she mumbles almost embarrassedly.

Forgetting her need to pee, Camila suddenly gets an idea and begins making her way towards the exit. "I left a shirt at Mani's the other day and she returned it to me this morning. You can just borrow that!"

"No– that's– Camila I–"

Camila just waves Lauren's protests off, already pushing through the doorway. She sprints down the hallways to her locker to retrieve the shirt and returns to Lauren in record time.

"Here," Camila says, breathing harder through her nostrils. "Don't worry, it's clean, and Mani's laundry detergent always smells really good."

"Camila, you–"

"Put it on. Really, it's no big deal." She grins at Lauren, stretching her arm out further towards the girl.

Hesitating for a moment, Lauren bites her lip before taking the shirt. "O– okay, I'll uh... try it on," Lauren relents, tossing the paper towel away and heading into the nearest stall.

It takes nearly a full minute before the door opens again and Lauren walks out, gripping her ruined top in one hand and pulling at the hem of Camila's shirt with the other.

"Sorry," Camila laughs lightly. "I probably should have realized that we're not the same size."

They're not  _too_  far off in size, but the shirt is a little small on Lauren. It's snug around her shoulders, and it's obvious that Lauren has a bigger chest than Camila because it stretches tightly across her breasts. Whenever Camila would raise her arms while wearing it, the shirt would rise up a little. With Lauren, the girl has her arms down by her side but the top is still a little short, and Camila can see her belly button peeking out.

"I just..." Lauren begins, breaking into Camila's thoughts (as if she wasn't already in there). "I guess I'm not that used to feeling so, uh,  _uncovered_."

Smiling softly at Lauren, Camila walks forwards, reaching to tug gently at the shirt and smooth out non-existent wrinkles.

"You look great in it, Lauren. And hey, it even matches your skirt."

Camila grins at Lauren through the mirror, subtly admiring the girl's body while Lauren examines herself in the reflection.

"You know I wouldn't lie to you, right?" Camila asks, squeezing Lauren's side once before stepping away and putting some distance between the two.

Turning to face Camila, Lauren timidly fiddles with her braid between her fingers. "You really mean it? That I look okay in it?"

"More than okay," Camila replies immediately. "You look stunning. But... I mean... you always do so..." Camila trails off, grinning cheekily at the girl.

Her heart flutters at Lauren's flushed cheeks, then skips a beat when the girl adjusts her crooked glasses (probably tousled from changing shirts).

Camila rubs at the lone tattoo on her right arm and notices how Lauren's eyes lock onto the movement. 

"Okay," Lauren says, looking back up.

"Okay?"

"Okay." Lauren nods to reinforce her words.

"Okay," Camila repeats goofily one more time, smiling widely at Lauren's adorable giggle.

They step around each other, Lauren to exit and Camila to pee. As Lauren is about to leave, Camila calls her name.

"Yeah?" she asks, one hand on the door, the other clutching her ruined top.

"Keep the shirt. It looks better on you than it ever did on me."

Camila walks into her stall before Lauren can protest, but she doesn't miss the pink cheeks and happy smile on the girl's face.

~~

After browsing the shop a little longer, Ally and Camila eventually make their purchases and the three begin to leave the store. They just make it to the entrance when a familiar face appears.

“Hey guys,” Zayn greets happily. “Shawn told me you three were here.”

Camila can’t help but scowl slightly, because there goes her time with Lauren. Zayn is here to inevitably swoop the girl off of her feet and make her forget all about Camila.

“Hi, Zayn,” Lauren returns. She offers him a little wave, and just as Camila is about to accept defeat, Lauren surprises her by grabbing her hand, clutching the strap of the purse she wore today with the other. Camila ducks her head because she doesn’t want anyone to see how widely she’s grinning or how much she enjoys the warmth of Lauren’s skin on her own.

“We were just heading out, actually,” Camila says, not even mad at Zayn anymore because Lauren is still standing next to  _her_ , taking the initiative to hold  _her_  hand, and literally nothing else matters.

Zayn shrugs, turning to walk back out of the store with them. “That’s fine. I was here last week so I probably shouldn’t be buying any more stuff anyways.”

As they stroll through the mall, Zayn making conversation with Ally while Camila and Lauren trail behind, hand in hand, Camila thinks back to her earlier talk with Normani and Dinah.

They encouraged her to be honest with Zayn about her crush on Lauren, and Camila wishes she had thought about doing that earlier. She figures it’s better to get it done sooner rather than later, so offering a comforting squeeze to Lauren’s hand, Camila turns to the girl with a smile.

“I have to go talk to Zayn about something. Mind if you walk with Ally for a bit?”

“Oh, sure,” Lauren says as she looks at Camila. Her eyes seem extra bright today, and Camila just really wants to kiss her.

They pick up the pace to catch up with Zayn and Ally and switch partners after Lauren cuddles up to Ally and Camila pulls Zayn to the side a little.

“What’s up?” he asks with a serious expression. “Is everything alright?”

Camila takes a deep breath, unsure of how she’s going to word everything. “So… I know you and Lauren have gotten kind of close since we started hanging out with them. I wanted to know… um… do you like her?”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Zayn gazes down at Camila. “How did you know?”

Camila feels her heart drop, because  _fuck_ , she’s too late. They already have feelings for each other.

He doesn't notice Camila's reaction. “Well, okay I don’t  _like_ like her yet, but I definitely have a crush on her.”

“Oh,” Camila mumbles, because she’s not sure what to do with that information.

“Why, what’s up? Do you like her or something?”

Looking down, Camila stays silent.  _Why does it matter?_  Zayn is one step ahead of her anyways.

Stopping them in their tracks, Zayn places both hands on her shoulders and directs her eyes to him. “Shit, you like Lauren?”

Camila shrugs sadly but nods anyways. She feels a little embarrassed now, because of course if they both had a crush on the same person, Zayn would most likely win every time.

“Mila, I… I had no idea. How long?”

“Um, since, uh, freshman year,” she admits quietly.

“The fuck? Why didn’t you tell me?” And wait,  _what_? “I was making moves on Lauren because I didn’t think anyone else was into her. If I had known you liked her, I would have never even started. Fuck, I feel like such an asshole now.” He starts pacing in front of her, his hand on his forehead.

“Hold on, you…  _what_?”

Pausing his walking and looking at her, Zayn quirks an eyebrow in amusement. “You’ve liked her for that long and you really think I’m going to try anything? Fuck no. All this time I could have been your wingman. You should have told me.”

“I– what– you…  _for real_?” Camila stutters out.

“Duh,” he says, tossing an arm around her to continue walking after the other two. “I kind of had an idea because you were always looking at her in the hallways and commenting on how  _cute she looks_ and how  _her hair looks so soft_ and  _those glasses are adorable_." She reaches out to lightly smack him on the stomach which he just chuckles softly at. "I’m not going to get in your way. You want to be with her, right?”

Camila watches Lauren walking in the distance, laughing and joking with Ally. “So fucking badly.”

“Well then,” he says, pulling her closer. “Let’s go get your girl.”

~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i'm the minority but...
> 
> #laurentops
> 
> i'm sorry alright let me live in my little bubble of naivety please thank you
> 
> plus imagine this lauren topping this camila i mean...
> 
> h o t
> 
> yeah okay hit me with your comments of how wrong i am i'm a big girl i can take it
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> check me out on wattpad
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

**i guess trigger warning for a little violence.**

~~

After they spend a couple more hours at the mall and grab dinner together, they part ways, Zayn offering to drive Camila home so he can find out all the details of her new (old) crush.

He asks Camila how she's going to woo Lauren, but she replies that she wants to start with just getting  _close_  to the girl first, never mind asking her out. Zayn, in true Zayn fashion, jokingly calls her a pussy, and Camila, in true Camila fashion, punches him in the arm.

The amount of relief Camila feels from being able to talk about her crush with Zayn has her mentally berating herself for not doing so earlier. She had informed Dinah first at the beginning of their junior year and Normani had found out sometime during that year's winter break, so she's not sure why she never told Zayn.

He's kind of her person and she almost feels like an asshole for the situation coming across like she didn't trust him. If he thinks that, though, he doesn't comment on it, for which Camila is extremely grateful.

Camila is aware that Lauren and Zayn are pretty close, and she's happy that the girl is coming out of her shell and making new friends. Zayn had told her that Lauren and him text quite regularly, not about anything too personal or deep, but mostly just regarding art or something they have in common. She knows he's being 100% honest with her and also giving her an opportunity to tell him to back off if she wants.

When Camila instead encourages him to keep being a good friend (he laughs at her emphasis on the word  _friend_ ), he smiles gratefully and Camila doesn't feel that familiar twinge of jealousy anymore. She's not going to go preventing people from being friends for her own selfish reasons, and she trusts Zayn to set the clear boundaries between friend and crush.

Call it weird but, like she said: he's her person.

~~

The first two days of the next school week go by pretty uneventfully. The only difference is that Zayn is playing his part as both wingman and obnoxious best friend, teasing Camila about her crush whenever Lauren isn't paying attention. Camila would get mad at him but he's also talking her up to Lauren and just all around being generally supportive, so she can't complain.

Wednesday comes around (also known as the day Camila gets to see Lauren in gym shorts) and at this point they've all officially made the move to crowd one lunch table together. It's a tight fit because technically there's only eight seats and they have nine people, but they'll usually just squish three people onto one bench.

Currently, Lauren is talking up a storm with Ariana who's paying rapt attention and Camila can't help but feel happy that the girl is getting along so well with her friends. In just the few weeks they've known each other, Camila has already seen a lot of growth in Lauren with the way she interacts with people who aren't Ally or Tori. The girl still stutters around Camila sometimes, but she chalks that up to the fact that Camila shamelessly flirts with her. Plus, Lauren has been getting bolder in initiating conversation and contact which has Camila's heart soaring. The girl is definitely more confident in texts than in person, but Camila knows that with time and encouragement, Lauren will improve even further.

Just as Camila is about to join in on the conversation, she feels two hands pressing down on her shoulders and gets a whiff of too much Axe body spray. Sighing to herself, Camila turns around to see Austin and Brad looking down at her.

"What do you guys want?"

Austin's soft smile disappears and he looks kind of upset instead. "You haven't really been talking to us lately... I mean, we are friends, right? Or at least we were."

Shrugging off Austin's hands, Camila scowls at him. "I don't know, Austin, are we? The only reason I'm even talking to you right now is because we have a lot of mutual friends and we've known each other for so long. But you  _know_  that I'm still pissed at the both of you for what you did."

She nods her head towards Lauren and only then notices how the girl has shrunk down into her seat and is fiddling anxiously with fingers.

"I know, I know, and we're sorry for all of that, really. It's just, we miss you.  _I_  miss you," Austin explains, holding eye contact with Camila. She frowns and looks away because apparently the boy still has a thing for her.

"That's good and all but that doesn't excuse your past behavior."

"Look," Brad butts in. "Just... give us a chance to prove that we're truly sorry. We want our friends back. I mean, Zayn won't even look at us anymore."

"Yeah, that's because if I do, I'm going to knock your fucking teeth in," Zayn seethes as he clenches his fists.

Widening his eyes slightly, Brad turns back to address Camila instead. "Just one chance."

"Please?" Austin adds.

As angry as Camila was with the two for what they did to Lauren, they had (have?) been her friends since elementary school. Maybe they're serious about turning over a new leaf.

"I mean... I guess I can give you on–"

"Yes, thank you so much, Mila," Austin says as he grabs her hand between his.

She glances over at Lauren who still hasn't moved a muscle and yanks her hand away. "Wait a second," Camila commands as she turns to the girl. "Lauren," she whispers. "Hey, Lauren." The girl still won't look at her so Camila leans in, gently placing a hand over Lauren's fidgeting ones. "Lo."

Lauren finally gazes up, apprehension swimming in her green eyes. They widen slightly at the new nickname but Camila chooses to ignore it for the time being (because she needs to be thinking about comforting the girl, not about how much she likes her). 

"How do you feel about this," Camila whispers so that only they can hear.

"Uh..."

"If this is making you too uncomfortable, just say the word and I'll tell them to go away."

Lauren shakes her head sharply, her brown hair swinging around her face. "No, Camila, uh, that's okay. Th– they're your friends... I wouldn't, um, want to do that t—"

"They're not my friends if you feel uneasy around them. Be honest with me. I care more about you than them, alright?"

Biting her lip hesitantly, Lauren looks down to where Camila is still covering her hands. "Um... I don't think I can, um, deal with them right now so, m– maybe not... uh, not today."

Camila focuses back on the two boys standing behind them. "We'll talk about this later, okay? Alone. Because you're making Lauren uncomfortable, so I think you should leave."

"But–" Austin starts.

"Are you fucking stupid? She told you to fuck off," Zayn snaps as he shoots up from his seat furiously.

"Alright, alright. We're going," Brad says as he tugs on Austin's arm. He's standing in a defensive position, glaring at Zayn, and the last thing they want is a fight in the middle of the cafeteria.

Brad pulls harder, snapping Austin out of his stance. "Come on, let's  _go_."

"I'll talk to you later, Camila," Austin throws over his shoulder and glowers at Zayn before he walks away.

It's only once the conflict is over that Camila notices how tightly Lauren is squeezing her hand in worry.

"Hey, Lo, it's okay," Camila comforts, placing her other hand on Lauren's to ease the girl's tension.

"Mila, what the fuck were you thinking?" Zayn demands as he stands behind their bench.

"Look, just relax, okay? They're right. I've probably known them for the longest. They did apologize for their actions so mayb–"

"Fucking  _hell_. Did you forget that they  _bullied_  Lauren for  _years_? One little apology and everything is okay? I don't care if I was friends with them before; assholes like them don't deserve a second chance."

Camila glances at Lauren who is still gripping her hand with her head hanging down. "Okay... yeah, you're right. I'll straighten everything out later."

"Good," Zayn huffs, returning to his seat.

Everyone else at the table had stayed quiet to avoid causing any more problems, although they're all aware of the situation. Austin and Brad were half the reason that even Shawn and Ariana started joining them for lunch. Those two, as well as Dinah and Normani, were informed of how the two boys had been mistreating Lauren and the four promptly stopped associating with both Austin and Brad. To be honest, today was the first time that any of them had spoken more than five words to the boys since the day Camila had caught them bullying Lauren.

"I'm sorry, Lauren. I didn't mean for any of that to happen."

Looking up and biting her lip, Lauren shrugs as she fidgets with Camila's hand. "You're right though. They were your friends before I wa– um, I mean before you knew me. I... I don't expect you to forget them just because of m– me."

Camila frowns because she doesn't like how Lauren worded her sentence. "If they're assholes, they don't deserve a second chance. And... Lo, you know you're my friend too, right?"

"I uh, I didn't want to, you know... l– label anything or–"

"The only way we wouldn't be friends is if you yourself said so. Otherwise, nothing is going to stop me from being your friend."  _And hopefully something more_ , Camila thinks to herself.

"Really?" Lauren asks as she shyly gazes up at Camila. Her green eyes are sparkling, some of her hair is falling in front of her face, and her bottom lip is caught between her teeth in hopefulness.

Honestly, Camila has never wanted to kiss her more than in this moment.

"Really," Camila confirms. She tucks the loose hair behind Lauren's ear and leans forward to place a tender peck on the girl's cheek. Camila already expects the blush that appears on Lauren's face and adores how she goes bashful at Camila's gestures.

Lauren doesn't let go of her hand for the rest of their lunch period.

~~

Lauren still gets dressed in one of the changing rooms and Camila still drools over how attractive Lauren is in their gym uniforms. They head out of the locker room together and sit on the floor side by side while they wait for the rest of the students to appear.

"Okay, everyone. Who's ready for dodgeball!" A majority of the students cheer at their teacher's announcement and are already bustling around to join up with their friends.

"I'm making the teams," he continues to groans of disappoint. "Come on, everyone. Line up."

Camila and Lauren end up being put on a team together, which she can tell the girl is relieved about. Grabbing Lauren's hand, Camila leads them over to their team's side of the court.

"How do you feel about dodgeball?"

"Um, a little nervous. I, uh, I'm not very athletic, and, well... I don't want my glasses breaking or anything."

Camila stares fondly as the girl nudges them back up her nose. "Can you take them off to play?"

Lauren shrugs. "I mean, I could, but... it would be a little harder for me to throw and stuff. I'm not completely blind with out them; like, I can manage. But it's just not ideal."

"I see. So basically you can't drive without them, but you could go swimming without them?" Camila clarifies.

"Uh huh."

"Everyone grab a ball and get on your side!" the teacher calls out before Camila can reply as he begins tossing the red balls so that each student has one.

"Don't worry," Camila reassures with a grin as she catches one of the balls and hands it to Lauren. "Just stay behind me. I'll make sure you don't get hit."

Lauren rotates the ball in her hands, bouncing it a few times on the floor. "But I'm taller than you."

"Way to make me feel short."

"Well I mean, you are below average, which is my height: 5'4"."

Camila snorts. "What, next you going to tell me that you're smarter than I am?"

There's silence on Lauren's end and Camila glances over to see the girl blushing.

"Oh my, god, you were, weren't you?"

"No!" Lauren splutters. "I– I don't know what your GPA is! P– plus that would rude."

Camila shakes her head adoringly, picking up the ball that the teacher rolled her way. "I bet yours is perfect."

"Well– I mean, I– uh..."

"It is, isn't it? Why am I not surprised that you're not only attractive, but you're smart too."

"Camila..."

"Man, if only you were athletic too. Then you'd be the perfect girlfriend," Camila says jokingly, nudging Lauren's ribs with her elbow.

"I– I could, I mean I wanted to play softball, but I never tried out– I just didn't feel comfort–"

Letting out a slight laugh, Camila grabs one of Lauren's flailing hands with her free one. "Lo, relax. I was just teasing."

"Oh," the girl breathes out with a giggle.

The instructor's whistle loudly breaks through their moment. "Everybody, line up!" He pauses as the students shuffle into their positions. "Nothing above the shoulders! I don't want to see people aiming for anyone's face, alright? Ready...?" He blows the whistle, and the gym breaks into chaos.

Camila watches as red whizzes back and forth between the two teams, and she can hear shrieking and their teacher calling people's names as they get tagged out. Lauren immediately cowers behind her, clutching her ball tightly in her arms. Making sure she doesn't move from in front of Lauren, Camila launches her ball and smiles in triumph when she manages to tag a girl on the opposing team out.

"Lauren, come on, you have to throw your ball."

"H– here, you do it," she says, shoving her ball into Camila's arms.

Camila shrugs, pitching the ball and narrowly missing a boy she thinks is in her biology class.

A ball rolls to their right and Camila sees out of the corner of her eye as Lauren steps out to grab it only to get tagged out by the same boy she just missed before.

"Aw man," Lauren says, but Camila can tell that the girl is kind of relieved that she's out of the crossfire now.

"Don't worry, Lauren. I'll win this for you!" Camila dramatically calls over her shoulder, grinning at the giggle Lauren lets out.

The girl goes to stand on the sidelines in the 'tagged out' group but separates herself from the other students, most likely not comfortable with associating with them.

Turning back towards the other team, Camila snags a ball out of the air as it's thrown at her and fires it back, smirking when she finally tags the boy out. There's still several students left, Camila focused on trying to hit another girl out, barely registering the boy she just tagged out reaching for a ball. Just as she ducks to avoid the girl's throw that goes far left, she suddenly hears a yelp from her right and turns to see Lauren crumpled on the ground, bending over as she clutches at her nose. 

Camila rushes over to Lauren, dropping to her knees in front of the girl. "Lauren, oh my, god, are you okay?!"

She glances up to look for their teacher and catches sight of that same boy snickering to himself while looking at Lauren in pain, but he doesn't notice Camila's gaze on him. Narrowing her eyes at him, Camila makes a mental note to herself to  _take care of him_  later on when she's finished helping Lauren.

"No, I– it  _hurts_ ," Lauren sobs, blood now starting to seep through her fingers.

Their teacher drops down next to Camila, placing a hand on Lauren's shoulder as he examines her half-covered face. "What happened, Lauren?"

"A, a ball... it—" she cuts herself with a flinch as the blood starts dripping onto the floor. "It hit my nose."

Now, Camila is 90% sure she knows who threw it, and if she were thinking more clearly she would tell the teacher so that he could take care of it. But she doesn't want the boy getting out of this; she wants him to suffer the way Lauren is.

"Do you know who threw it?" the instructor asks.

"No," Lauren replies with a whimper, clenching her nose tighter.

"Camila," the teacher says, turning towards her. "Can you take Lauren to the nurse and stay with her?" 

"Yes, yeah, of course." They both guide Lauren back up, Camila wrapping her left arm around the girl while she grips Lauren with her right hand.

"It's okay. I've got you."

Camila turns to her left to see tears in Lauren's eyes and a few running down her face. "It really h– hurts," she cries softly, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I know, baby, I know."

They're both silent for the rest of the walk, Camila comfortingly caressing Lauren's arm while simultaneously brewing in her anger for the boy that did this to her.

Finally reaching the office, the nurse quickly ushers Lauren onto one of the beds and gathers her cleaning supplies. She removes Lauren's glasses, handing them to Camila to keep safe and begins wiping off the still dripping blood.

Lauren whimpers as the nurse touches her face and Camila doesn't waste a second before reaching out for Lauren's hand, silently encouraging her to squeeze it if something hurts. The girl clutches it tightly between both of her hands, clenching her eyes shut when the nurse has to dab at the blood around her nose. Camila rubs her thumb reassuringly across Lauren's knuckles, wanting so badly to kiss the girl's furrowed eyebrows but not wanting to disturb the nurse.

A few more minutes go by until all the blood is cleaned up, only the flowing blood still obvious, but the nurse holds a tissue up to Lauren's nostrils to stop anything from getting messy.

"Okay, sweetie. I'm going to have to check if your nose is broken, okay? It's going to hurt a little," the nurse softly informs Lauren.

Not opening her eyes, Lauren just shakes her head, a grimace still on her face.

"Lo, she has to see if you need to go to the hospital. You have to let her check."

"N– no, I don't want..."

Setting Lauren's glasses down, Camila covers all their hands with her other one. "If it hurts too much, just squeeze my hands, as hard as you need to, okay?"

"I... I don't..."

"It's okay, hun. I'm right here. Just squeeze me if it hurts."

There's silence for a few moments as Lauren hesitates, then she nods her head slightly and shuts her eyes tighter. "Okay."

Gently prodding at her face, the nurse checks Lauren's nose, tenderly feeling the area around it. Even though the nurse is gentle, Lauren still grips Camila's hands as if her life depends on it. It hurts a little, because Lauren is surprisingly strong, but Camila doesn't complain because the girl's pain must be ten times worse.

The nurse finishes her inspection, leaning back with a smile on her face. "Good news, sweetie. Your nose isn't broken. It will be bruised for a while and it's going to be tender for the next week, but you dodged a trip to the hospital. I want you to sit up here, lean your head forward, and pinch the bridge of your nose until the bleeding stops. I'm just going to inform your parents, alright?"

"Mhm," Lauren nods, her eyes still closed.

The nurse walks away, leaving the two of them alone and still holding hands.

"You hear that, Lo? At least you  _dodged_  the hospital, right?" Camila asks with a cheeky grin.

Lauren opens her eyes, squinting them at Camila. "Usually I would laugh at your jokes but you're a meanie so I won't this time."

"Yikes. Too soon?"

"Uh huh," Lauren replies but she still smiles softly at Camila. "T– thanks for coming with me and attempting to cheer me up with your terrible jokes."

"Always."

The tissue starts sliding off of Lauren's face, so they release each other's hands, Lauren sitting up as she follows the nurse's directions.

"Hey, Lo, I just have to do something real quick. Will you be okay here? I'll be right back."

Lauren looks a little surprised but is mostly focused on stopping the bleeding. "Um, yeah, that's okay. I'm not going anywhere anyways."

"Okay. It'll only take a few minutes," Camila promises again, exiting the nurse's office and sprinting down the hallway. It's the end of the day and she wants to catch the boy before he leaves.

Swinging by the gym, Camila finds it already cleared out so she dashes to the parking lot hoping to catch the kid before he heads home. When she barges through the doors, the boy is walking towards his car, his face buried in his cell phone. He's all alone and there's no one else in sight so Camila crosses the parking lot in only a few steps, striding right up to the unaware boy and connecting her fist into his nose.

He drops his phone as he cries out, stumbling backwards and grabbing at his face as blood begins dripping out of his nostrils.

"I know what you did to Lauren! Don't you fucking dare touch her again, ever! You hear me?!" Camila snarls out as she stares into his watery eyes, clutching the collar of his shirt between her fist. "If I catch you even so much as  _looking_  at her, a broken nose will be the least of your worries. And if you're smart enough, you'll keep your fucking mouth shut."

She releases him with a slight shove, stalking back into the school before he can even respond. The boy had a good six inches on her but that doesn't intimidate Camila because she can defend herself against people twice her size. There's a reason she has a specific reputation at school.

Camila rushes back to the nurse's office to get to Lauren as soon as possible, walking in to find the girl standing up from the bed.

"You finally get the blood to stop?" Camila asks.

Not hearing her come in, Lauren glances up in surprise. "Uh huh."

Camila's eyes widen because now that all the blood is gone and it's been a little while since Lauren got hit, there's a bruise that's starting to form around the sides of her nose and under her eyes.

"It looks bad, doesn't it?"

" _Painful_  is what it looks. Does it hurt a lot?"

Lauren shrugs, clutching her glasses in her hands. "Yeah. The nurse gave me some painkillers so I'm just waiting for those to kick in. I'm starting to get a headache, though."

Pouting sympathetically, Camila steps forward, making sure to hide her bruised knuckles from Lauren. "I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help? Do you need a ride home?"

There's a grateful smile on Lauren's face but Camila can tell that the girl is in pain. "N– no, that's okay, I can drive myself. When I get home my mom is going to try and help bring the swelling down and then I'll, um, probably take a nap because my entire face is just kind of... throbbing."

"I'm so sorry, Lauren. I wish it was me instead of you that got hit."

"I don't," the girl replies. "I'm pretty sure you've been hit enough times in your life, right? Now at least I know how it feels," she giggles out.

"Right." Camila feels a  _little_  guilty for resorting to violence once again, but she did it for Lauren. Nobody can hurt the girl like that,  _deliberately_ , and get away with it. Lauren doesn't have to know, and Camila can sleep better knowing that the boy won't bother Lauren ever again. 

They part ways in the parking lot, Camila thankful that the boy has already left. She forces Lauren to promise to text Camila later about how she's feeling when she wakes up and if she needs anything. Lauren surprises Camila by leaning in to give her a tight hug, thanking her for looking after her and tagging along to the nurse's office which has Camila's stomach doing flips at the initiated contact.

Later that evening, smiling at the adorable goodnight text Lauren had sent her filled with too many emojis, Camila shifts the ice pack that's resting on her hand. She flinches as the cold seeps into her sensitive skin, but luckily her knuckles didn't split so hopefully she can hide it from Lauren until the swelling is all gone.

There's a nagging voice in Camila's head telling her that Lauren would be disappointed in her. She argues that she did it for Lauren but in reality Camila knows that she let Lauren down, even if the girl isn't aware that she did. She's supposed to be working on her issues, not fueling them.

Sighing to herself, Camila drops the ice pack onto the floor and switches out the light. She makes herself a promise to work on that more seriously. But she also tells herself that Lauren is worth all the bruised knuckles in the world.

~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy happy birthday to meeeeeeee.
> 
> well actually it was several days ago but who's counting? i'm curious though, how old do you guys think i am? my guess is that you think i'm younger than i really am.
> 
> also to all my laucy shippers, i recently wrote a fluffy laucy one shot based on their snowboarding trip so go check that out.
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> check me out on wattpad
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

The morning after the gym incident, Camila is busy swapping books from her locker when she hears Lauren's name mentioned in a conversation happening behind her. It's hard to make out everything through the chatter of the hallway, but she does hear a few sentences that have her fuming.

"Did you see Lauren Jauregui's nose?"

(And of course they mispronounce Lauren's last name which just pisses Camila off even more.)

"Yeah, what do you think happened?"

"My girlfriend has the same gym period as her and she told me that some kid threw a ball straight at her face because he said she's too stupid to block it."

"Really? I heard that she’s so clumsy that she walked into a door and busted her nose herself."

"Someone told me that she got punched because she was being annoying."

“Well, whichever one it is, the fucking nerd deserved it. She’s so  _weird_.”

The group laughs behind Camila who has stopped moving and is just clenching one hand tightly around her locker door. It’s the same hand that she used to punch the boy yesterday but the pain isn’t even registering. All she can think about is the shit they’re saying about Lauren and how much it would hurt the girl if she found out.

Slamming her locker shut with way more force than necessary, Camila whips around and stalks the short distance to the group making fun of Lauren.

“You guys want to repeat that?” she asks in a sickly sweet tone.

“Huh?” the boy who spoke last asks.

“You know,” Camila says, placing a hand on his shoulder. “All those…  _great_  things you were saying about Lauren Jauregui?” With each word, her grip gets tighter and tighter until there’s a grimace on his face and he’s flinching in pain.

The other have all caught on to what Camila is doing and they all stare with wide eyes as her smile morphs into a glare. “I better not hear any of you talk shit about Lauren ever again.”

Camila starts digging her fingernails into the boy’s shoulder until he’s slightly bent over, trying to alleviate the pressure. “Am I understood?” she asks, her threatening smile back in place.

They all nod quickly, the boy’s head moving the fastest, and he finally breathes out in relief when she lets him go.

Camila stalks off without another word in the direction of Lauren’s locker. She’s just about to turn the corner when someone lightly grips her arm, stepping in front of her to stop her.

“Mila,” Dinah begins, cutting straight to the chase. “You said it was that Anthony kid from your biology class that busted Lauren’s nose, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, is there any particular reason why he was at the hospital yesterday with a broken nose and a half-assed lie for why he got it?”

Camila shrugs, avoiding Dinah’s eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“Come on, you know my sis works at that hospital. She recognized him and asked me if I knew what  _really_  happened since he refused to be honest.”

“Um, I wouldn’t know. Sorry.” Camila attempts to walk away but Dinah tugs her back by her arm. “Was that your revenge for what he did to Lauren?”

Apparently mentioning Lauren again is all it takes for Camila to crack. “He did it on purpose, DJ. You should have seen the poor girl! She was in so much pain and I couldn’t stand to see her like that. I had to do  _something_  because he thought he could get away with it. Lauren doesn’t know, though, so please please please don’t tell her. She’ll just be disappointed because I promised her I’d stop picking fights… but… I just had to do it for her, you know?”

Dinah stares at her with an expressionless face which has Camila worried for a moment until the girl pulls her into a tight hug. “You’re so in love with her.”

“Shut up.”

“You  _love_  Lauren.”

“Dinah,” Camila whines.

“Sh sh it’s okay. Camren is finally rising.”

Camila pulls away from the embrace, giving Dinah a puzzled look. “What the fuck is Camren?”

“ _Cam_ ila plus Lau _ren_. Camren. Duh.”

“Oh my, god, you’re so dumb.”

Dinah ignores Camila’s jab, instead throwing an arm around her shoulders and guiding them down the hall. “Come on. Let’s go see your girl. I want to see how bad her bruise is.”

“Dinah! Don’t make fun of it. She already feels bad enough as is.”

The snort Dinah lets out has a few people turning their way. “Chill, Mila, damn. You’re not even dating yet and you’re already so whipped.”

“I’m not whipped.”

“You so are,” she argues back. “Like I’m surprised that Lauren hasn’t caught on to your crush yet because… you ain’t subtle.”

Camila doesn’t reply, instead she just attempts to push Dinah away from her. It doesn’t work, of course.

She sort of forgets about her irritation towards Dinah when Lauren’s locker comes into view and she sees the girl rifling through it as she chats with Tori. Lauren has on this adorable little floral dress, her hair is done up in an inside out ponytail, and there’s a sweet smile on her face.

Camila honestly doesn’t understand how anyone could hate this girl, because seriously, she’s like a walking dream.

Lauren turns to them as they approach, and it’s only now that Camila sees the full extent of her injury. It’s not as red as it was yesterday; instead, the bruise around her nose is taking on a blueish tint as it begins the healing process.

“Hey guys,” Tori greets them when she notices where Lauren’s gaze is. Lauren offers a shy wave but before Camila can greet them back, Dinah pushes ahead to stand in front of Lauren.

“Damn, Lauser. I can’t imagine how the other guy must look,” she teases with a grin.

Camila goes to speak up and reprimand Dinah for being so blunt but she stops when Lauren lets out a little laugh at Dinah’s comment.

“I wouldn’t know. My eyes were too watery,” Lauren jokes back, her tongue caught in between her teeth. They all let out a genuine laugh and honestly Camila’s surprised because everyday Lauren seems to get more and more confident.

“How are you feeling?” Dinah asks Tori as they all begin to head towards class. Camila tunes out their conversation ahead of her as she turns to look at Lauren on her left.

“Thanks for helping me out yesterday,” Lauren speaks up first.

“Yeah, no, it was… you don’t have to thank me.”

“It meant a lot to me because… I mean usually the person who brings me to the nurse’s office leaves right after so…”

Camila frowns at Lauren, licking her lips as she takes in the girl’s words. “What do you mean  _usually_? Has this happened before?”

Shrugging, Lauren doesn’t think too much of it. “Well, it’s happened a couple of times. It’s dodgeball though, so it’s okay. Someone is bound to get hurt, right? I guess I’m just one of the unlucky ones.”

“No– wait–“ Camila pauses to get her thoughts together. “That’s not normal, though. It’s not a coincidence if it always happens to you.”

“Seriously,” Lauren insists with a gentle smile. “Don’t worry about it, Camz.”

And usually Camila would keep arguing her point except for the fact that Lauren just called her  _Camz_ , she gave her a nickname that has Camila’s heart racing and makes her lose all her will to disagree with the girl.

_Fuck, Dinah's right_ , Camila thinks to herself. _I'm so whipped_.

When Camila finally snaps back to reality, she looks up to see Lauren gazing over at her with a baffled expression on her face.

“Where are– um, you’re not wearing your glasses today?” Camila curses herself under her breath for acting like a schoolgirl with a crush (which she is technically but that’s not the point).

“Oh,” Lauren says, absentmindedly reaching up to fiddle with glasses that aren’t there. “Yeah, I… I tried wearing them but they hurt my nose too much so I’m using my contacts today.”

“You have contacts?”

Lightly tugging on her ponytail, Lauren peeks over at Camila. “Um, yeah, I do. I– I just don’t wear them much.

“Oh,” Camila mumbles, nodding to herself. “Well, I’m glad that you don’t.”

Lauren tilts her head to the side in question and it reminds Camila of her cousin’s new puppy and how it would do the exact same thing whenever you called its name.

“Your glasses make you like ten times cuter.”

“Oh. Uh, thanks.”

Camila smiles at Lauren’s slight blush and returns her sweet smile.

~~

They get invited to a party at Liam's house that evening because Columbus day is Friday which means an extra long weekend. Camila is not a big fan of parties but she has nothing else going on and figures tagging along for a few hours won’t hurt.

Dinah drags her and Ariana to Normani’s house and they agree to meet up with Zayn and Shawn at the party.

Camila attempts to stay out of the war zone that is Ariana, Normani, and Dinah getting ready for a party and just attend in her normal clothes but Ariana refuses to leave her alone and eventually forces Camila into a skirt and short sleeved crop top combo. She touches up her make up and tidies up her hair so it falls in her nice, natural waves.

They don’t head to the party until it’s dark and Camila doesn’t even pay attention to the drive over, shoved in the back seat and preoccupied by her conversation with Lauren. She would much rather have hung out with Lauren tonight, especially when she finds out that Taylor is staying at a friend’s house for the extended weekend and her parents have taken Chris up to Fort Myers for a soccer tournament and are staying there for the entirety of the weekend (Camila is kind of relieved about that because she still hasn’t met the family and she really wants them to like her but she's kind of nervous). But all of that means that Lauren will be alone in her house for three days because while she does have Tori and Ally, they aren’t staying over with Lauren until Friday which means the girl is alone tonight.

Camila wants to offer her company but she doesn’t know if that’s overstepping a line or if Lauren would even be comfortable with it. She wants to make moves but the last thing she wants to do is scare the girl away.

They arrive when Camila is typing out a text to Lauren so she barely pays attention as they make their way up to the already rowdy house. Camila is just pressing send as they push their way through the front door and into the hot, smoky, deafening environment. She doesn’t understand how a party could be in full swing after only an hour but doesn’t have a chance to question it before Normani is tugging her over to the kitchen to grab some drinks.

Camila opts for a beer that she can sip slowly while they line up five shots glasses for the other three girls and Zayn and Shawn who have just joined them. Dinah downs three shots before tugging Normani out onto the dance floor and it has Camila shaking her head at her friend’s antics.

Shawn and Ariana join a few moments later, leaving Zayn and Camila behind.

“You punched Anthony, didn’t you?”

Camila sighs into her bottle. “Did Dinah tell you?”

“No,” Zayn replies, clutching his own beer. “I just know you. You wouldn’t let him get away with it.”

“Can you blame me? It’s  _Lauren_.”

“I know. And I honestly can’t believe I didn’t realize how much you love her.”

“Oh my, god, I don’t love her!” Right on cue, Camila’s phone buzzes in her hand and Lauren’s name pops up on the screen.

Zayn just chuckles as he takes a sip. “Of course. That’s why you’d rather be texting her than partying. Makes sense.”

“Go away, you asshole,” Camila groans as she shoves him towards the living room.

“You love her!” Zayn calls over his shoulder as he walks away.

“Were you just born to annoy me?” Camila shouts back, but Zayn just laughs loudly at her before disappearing into the crowd.

She rolls her eyes but can’t help feeling happy that she can text Lauren in peace now.

**Lauren: So since you know now that I’m home alone and watching TV in my pajamas like a nerd, can I know what you’re up to?**

**Camila: got dragged to this stupid party that i don’t even want to be at. i hate parties, i don’t know why they keep forcing me to go.**

**Lauren: You are? I kind of feel like I’m at one too. My neighbors are having a crazy loud one and I can hear their music from here.**

Taking a sip from her beer, Camila jumps back as Dinah pushes her way back into the kitchen. The girl doesn’t even notice her as she downs another shot and mixes herself a drink before heading back onto the dance floor.

**Camila: i’m sorry :( can u lock urself in ur room and turn the volume up louder?**

**Lauren: Lol I already did. Whose party are you at?**

**Camila: liam’s. liam payne, you know who he is?**

**Lauren: Wait, really?**

**Camila: yeah, why?**

**Lauren: Because I’m next door neighbors with Liam Payne.**

Camila’s eyes widen, because that means she’s right next to Lauren who’s lonely and alone for the evening. She wonders how she didn’t notice that they were on Lauren’s street but Camila chalks it up to the fact that she had only been there once, it was dark, and she was buried in her phone.

**Camila: omg, seriously??**

**Lauren: Haha, if you don’t believe me, come to the fence.**

Tossing her nearly empty bottle into the trash, Camila bolts for the back doors, sliding one open and squeezing through it as she searches the darkness for Lauren. She makes it to the fence but is too short to see over, and as Camila’s contemplating grabbing a chair from the deck, a portion of the fence cracks open and she sees Lauren’s messy hair pop out.

“Hey, Camila,” Lauren greets, only her head sticking through the gap.

“I had no idea we were even on your street. I’m… this just made my night ten times better. I didn’t want to come to this stupid party anyways.”

Glancing away, Lauren bites her lip as if she’s contemplating something. “Well, if you want… you can, um, join me. I’m watching uh,  _The Devil Wears Prada_  because there’s an Emily Blunt movie marathon on.”

“Holy shit, yes, I love that movie. Emily Blunt is a babe.”

“Yeah, she’s uh… um, she’s really pretty,” Lauren says back shyly. She’s opening her mouth to speak when Camila hears a voice behind her.

“Lauser! What are you doing here? Hiding in the corner with Mila? Clearly you two are made for each other,” Dinah says, stumbling slightly in her heels as she marches towards them, Zayn close behind.

“ _Clearly—_ ,” Camila speaks up quickly with wide eyes, “—someone’s had too much to drink a little too quickly! Maybe you should, uh, ease up on the shots, yeah? Go drink some water? From the kitchen? That’s not out here?”

Lauren stares at the three of them, nervously playing with the latch on the gate. “Um, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were– you’re probably busy, I’ll just go…”

“No, Lauren, wait!” Camila shouts, reaching a desperate hand forward to stop the girl from shutting the gate. “I would much rather hang with you than be here tonight.”

Before Lauren can respond, Dinah speaks up again, apparently having heard Camila. “Oh my, god, Camila you’re so—“ she pauses for a hiccup, “—whipped. No wonder why you—“ another hiccup, “—punched that kid who hurt Lauren yesterday.”

Camila’s eyes widen because Dinah apparently can’t keep secrets when she’s drunk. She glares at Zayn who finally gets the hint and begins tugging Dinah back towards the house, mumbling a sheepish  _sorry_  to Camila who just glares harder.

Turning back to Lauren, Camila anxiously scratches at the back of her neck because she can’t read Lauren’s expression.

“Um, I… is it okay if I explain?”

Lauren regards her for a moment before opening the gate wider and letting Camila through. She almost feels like a little child about to get disciplined by a parent as she walks ahead of the girl with her head hanging down and Lauren quietly following behind.

This was not how her evening was supposed to go.

~~

The downstairs of the house is dark, and having only been there once, Camila can’t remember where Lauren’s room is. The girl takes the lead and guides them up the stairs into the only room that has a light on. It’s only then that Camila is able to see Lauren properly since it was also dark and not well-lit outside either.

Lauren is wearing these cute little plaid sleep shorts and a simple t-shirt; it’s only October in South Florida and is definitely still warm enough for summer clothes. Her hair is down in loose waves and her glasses are balanced delicately on the top of her nose, probably due to the pain from the prominent bruise around her face. As Camila is appreciating casual Lauren, the girl finally turns around and properly sees Camila’s party outfit. It’s not crazy and  _super_  revealing but Camila does notice how Lauren’s eyes linger on her exposed stomach.

Camila smiles to herself because it’s probably the first time that she’s ever seen Lauren react to her attire and looks. She decides to tease the girl a little because Lauren is adorable when she’s flustered.

“You like this shirt?”

“Huh?” Lauren asks, her head snapping up quickly.

“You were looking at my shirt. You like it?”

Lauren’s cheeks flush at being caught. “Oh, uh, uh…”

Camila chuckles quietly to herself, because she’ll never get over this girl’s reactions.

“Come on,” Camila says, deciding to change the subject. “Let me explain what Dinah said out there.”

They both take a seat on the edge of Lauren’s unmade bed, space between them so that they can face each other comfortably.

“So, we both know what happened at the gym. A ball got thrown at your face and the nurse and all of that.” Lauren nods for her to continue.

“Well, I saw who did it. And… I was just so mad. Because you should have seen his face! He was smirking because you were in pain! Like he did it on purpose. He didn’t think to own up or apologize. He  _wanted_  to hurt you. And I can’t stand the thought of anyone wanting to do that. Or the thought of them getting away with it. It makes me so angry because… because… you’re so sweet and undeserving of the shit people give you. But…fuck, I know I promised I would work on my, um, issues. I just… I couldn’t let him get away with it. But I’m sorry. I don’t know if I would take it back, but I am sorry that I let you down.”

At some point during Camila’s spiel, she had stood up and started pacing Lauren’s room, gesturing wildly to express her emotions. It’s only when she stops that Camila realizes that Lauren is still perched on her spot on the bed as she watches Camila convey her feelings.

Suddenly feeling a little embarrassed, Camila quickly takes her seat next to Lauren. She stares at her lap, avoiding Lauren’s eyes because she really doesn’t know what the girl’s face means.

It’s silent for a few moments longer, setting Camila’s nerves on edge.

“Thank you.”

Her head whips up, eyes wide at Lauren’s words. “What?”

“Thank you,” Lauren repeats softly. “You’re right, I– I am a little disappointed that you resorted to violence, but… no one’s ever, you know, felt so strongly about defending me before. So it means a lot to me.”

“I, um…” Camila stutters, because she really didn’t expect this reaction.

“Are you okay, though? Did you hurt yourself when you hit him?” Lauren asks, her green eyes searching Camila’s hands.

Flexing her fingers, Camila rubs over the slight bruising on her knuckles. “I'm okay, it didn’t hurt that much. But… I’m surprised you’re not worried about how he feels. I’m pretty sure I broke his nose.”

Lauren giggles quietly, taking Camila’s bruised hand and gripping it between her own. She runs her fingertips over the discoloring and Camila prays that Lauren didn’t notice the chill that ran through her or the goosebumps on her skin.

"I care more about how you feel," Lauren says quietly as she continues inspecting Camila's knuckles.

A rush of emotions go through Camila all at once and she has to take a deep breath to calm herself down.

“Are you– do you want to–“ Lauren nervously runs the hand that isn’t holding Camila’s through her hair. “Did you actually want to watch the movie with me? Because, um, you never said yes or no when we were outside.”

“Of course I would. That party was stupid and you’re way better company,” Camila says, only then noticing the reverb she can hear from the music next door.

“Great.” Lauren quickly stands up as she takes a step forward before stopping and spinning around on her heels, her hands suspended in midair. “Did you, uh, want a change of clothes? You don’t have to but, um, you’re making me feel really under dressed.”

Camila returns Lauren’s smile, excited to be spending some quality time with the girl. “That sounds great.”

She watches as Lauren trudges over to the dresser and pulls out shorts and a shirt similar to the ones she’s wearing, handing them to Camila as she points to her ensuite bathroom. “You can change in there. I can grab some snacks, if you want?”

“Do you have any popcorn?”

“Duh. The essential movie food.”

They part ways after deciding what to eat, Lauren going downstairs and Camila heading to the bathroom. She still can’t believe that this is happening. At the beginning of the year, Lauren hardly knew who she was and now, they’re about to pig out for their  _movie night_. In Lauren’s room, in her bed, alone. This would be the perfect moment for Camila’s thoughts to go in the gutter, but she’s honestly just really happy Lauren likes her enough to hang out. The fact that her thoughts didn’t even get inappropriate tells her that she’s probably just as whipped as Dinah’s annoying voice reminded her.

Shaking her head at herself, Camila pulls her party outfit off, tugging the shorts on and pulling Lauren’s shirt over her head. She pauses for a moment because it smells like Lauren, coconut mixed with something specifically  _her_ , and it makes Camila smile to herself.

She exits the bathroom, folding her clothes and leaving them on Lauren’s desk chair. Noticing that Lauren hasn’t returned yet, Camila heads downstairs to see if the girl needs any help. She’s greeted by the scent of buttered popcorn and walks into the kitchen to see Lauren rifling through the fridge.

“Hey, need me to carry something?”

And apparently Lauren wasn’t expecting Camila to appear because she hears a squeak of surprise followed by a bang and then a groan as Lauren presumably hits her head on a fridge shelf.

Camila feels bad, she really does, but…

“O– oh my, god… are… are you o– okay?” she asks through her snickering.

Lauren pops out from behind the fridge door, a pout on her face as she rubs the back of her head. “You scared me,” she whines.

“Did you kno– I’m sor– just–“ Camila can’t hold in her laughter anymore and has to lean against the counter for support.

“Fine,” she hears as Lauren huffs then grumbles. “I’ll just eat all the popcorn by myself.”

Camila is doubled over now, clutching at her stomach. “N– no, wait… L– Laure–“

Instead of marching off in annoyance at Camila’s reaction, Lauren starts to find amusement in her laughing fit and joins in, first with light giggles until they’re both clutching each other’s shoulders in the middle of the kitchen and gasping for air through their hysterics.

"I swear I'm not that clumsy," Lauren attempts to explain once they've both calmed down slightly. "I just scare easily."

"Good to know," Camila teases with a grin on her face.

Lauren smacks Camila's shoulder as they start gathering their snacks. "Camz!"

"What!"

"That's not fair! I just said I spook easily."

"So? I can still scare you whenever I want."

The mock glare Lauren sends towards Camila is not intimidating in the slightest. "You're a meanie."

"There there. Will this make it better?" Camila asks with a pouty face as she reaches out to rub the spot on Lauren's head that she hit. She notices how Lauren's eyes flutter shut for a moment at the touch and stores that information away for later.

"Come on. This popcorn is going to get cold."

They make their way upstairs, setting the DVR up and arranging the snacks around them as they climb under Lauren's sheets. The pillows they're leaning against are propped up against her headboard as the settle the popcorn bowl between them.

Their shoulders are barely brushing from how they're sitting to make it easier to share the snacks. Camila wants to move closer but she doesn't want to creep Lauren out. 

Eventually, the food is moved to the bedside tables once they're done, so Camila takes the opportunity to scoot a little closer to Lauren. The girl makes a surprised sound but Camila doesn't react. She's too busy struggling with herself whether she should go for it or not, but Zayn's voice in her head calling her a pussy makes the decision for her.

Camila breathes out hard through her nose, sucking up the nerve to ask. "Hey, Lauren, does your head still hurt?"

"Um, yeah, a little."

"Do... do you want me to massage it for you? You won't even have a bump when I'm done."

"Oh," Lauren says, green eyes wide and blinking slowly. "Uh... only if you don't mind..."

"Not at all." Camila scoots over, giving more Lauren to shift around. "Here, if you lay your head on my lap it'll be easier."

"Oh," the girl repeats. Camila notices how she licks her lips nervously as she moves sideways so she's facing the TV while placing her head on Camila's legs like a pillow.

She begins running her fingers through Lauren's hair and immediately feels the girl relax. The girl's tension from before dissipates as Camila rubs her fingertips along Lauren's scalp.

It doesn't take more than fifteen minutes before Lauren is snoring softly, and Camila doesn't even make it to the end of the movie because Lauren's gentle breathing lulls her into a pleasant sleep.

~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> putting this out today for all those camren shippers who are going to be sad at lauren's inevitable birthday post to lucy.
> 
> speaking of lauren and lucy, i wrote a laucy one shot for those of you who missed it so go read that if you want. it's a fluffy little thing based on their snowboarding trip.
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> by the way
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> #laurentops


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on wattpad
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

When Lauren wakes up, she’s cocooned in her blanket she doesn’t remember falling asleep under. The pillows are tucked under and around her head and there’s light barely filtering through the gaps in the curtains. She turns over to see the clock reading 9:23 and takes a moment before she recalls that Camila skipped the party to watch a movie with her.

Lauren remembers how Camila had gently massaged her until Lauren had fallen into a peaceful sleep. Glancing over at the empty space next to her, Lauren frowns.

Once they had finished the movie, she was going to ask Camila if she wanted to stay over, but she fell asleep before that could happen. And based on the empty room, it looks as if Camila has already left. Even if she did stay the night here, she clearly went home before Lauren woke up, because her clothes are missing from the desk chair.

She can’t help but feel disappointed because she had been working on building up more confidence to initiate things with Camila. They could have used today, even if it was only part of the day, to get to know each other better and give Lauren more opportunities to open up to Camila.

Now it looks like those plans have fallen through, and Lauren is left wishing she had worked up the nerve earlier in the evening to invite Camila to stay.

Rising up out of bed, Lauren pads over to her bathroom and starts the shower as she drowns in self regret for not being more confident. Maybe she can ask Ally if the girl can come over earlier so that Lauren doesn’t have to sit with her own negative thoughts all by herself.

~~

Lauren tucks the corner of the towel into itself as she steps out of the bathroom and glances around. She can’t see the clothes that Camila borrowed and it leaves her wondering if the girl wanted to leave so quickly that she didn’t even bother changing.

In the back recesses of her mind, there’s a voice telling Lauren that she’s being irrational by assuming that Camila wanted to get away from her as soon as possible. The girl has not only been consistent in showing genuine attention to Lauren, but also making an effort to have all their friends get to know each other. She shot Brad and Austin down when they tried to apologize solely because of how Lauren felt about them, she communicates constantly with her, and she stuck up for Lauren (even when she really shouldn’t have). But Lauren has this irritating, disheartening, self-confidence problem that makes her doubt even the most obvious things and leaves her feeling discouraged. Sometimes it makes her so  _angry_ , because she just wishes it would go away. She wants to feel self-assured, she doesn’t want to have these nagging feelings that someone is always judging her.

Lauren just wants to be fucking  _normal_.

She doesn’t realize that she’s worked herself into a frenzy until wetness slides down her cheeks onto the carpeted floor. Swiping the back of her hand across her face, Lauren bitterly wipes at the tears, willing them and all her other feelings to stop. She turns towards her dresser, opening one of the drawers to dig through for some clean clothes to wear.

“Lauren, I heard you were up so I—“

She squeaks and practically leaps away from the dresser, desperately clutching at her towel as it almost unravels from the motion. Camila is frozen in the doorway, two plates and glasses balanced on a tray as she stares at Lauren with wide eyes for a split second before hurriedly spinning around to face the other way.

“I’m so sorry! The shower had been off for a while so I assumed you were finished and dressed. I didn’t mean to…” Camila rambles out quickly, still standing rigid with her back to Lauren.

Camila didn’t actually see anything, because while Lauren  _is_  in a small towel with nothing underneath, she caught the fabric before it bared anything to the girl. The reaction Lauren received is a little odd though, because Camila is the same girl who has made a few — for lack of a better term — fuckgirl comments to her in the past. Yet here she is acting like she’s never seen an underdressed girl in her life. Lauren feels a little elated that the girl clearly respects her enough to turn away quickly.

She doesn’t want to leave Camila waiting any longer so she darts into her closet, forgoing searching for new clothes and just deciding to toss on over her underwear some lounge pants and a t-shirt she had worn a few days before. Promptly exiting, she attempts to calm her raging (for whatever reason) heart down to a more appropriate speed.

“Okay, you can turn around now,” Lauren says to Camila’s back.

Lauren expects Camila to spin back around, but the girl hesitates for a moment.

“You sure? You’re fully dressed? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m sure.”

Slowly, Camila twists around to face Lauren, smiling when she makes eye contact only to frown worriedly a moment later.

“Lauren! Why are you crying?”

_Fuck_ , she totally forgot to wipe the tears from her eyes. Attempting to play it off, Lauren waves a dismissive hand around, avoiding Camila’s stare.

“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about. Just allergies.”

Placing the tray down onto Lauren’s dresser, Camila swiftly steps towards her, her eyebrows furrowed as she raises Lauren’s face to look at her.

“What happened? Did someone hurt you again?”

“D– don’t worry about it,” Lauren attempts to reassure, a little flustered because Camila’s face is so close to hers. “It’s just my stupid insecurity.”

“Lauren, don’t ever call your insecurity stupid. It’s anything but. It’s a valid concern that you have that should never be brushed aside as not important.”

Camila’s words shake Lauren into returning her gaze, surprise written all over her face. “I– I– but it’s not tha–“

“No,” Camila insists, cutting Lauren off. “It’s something you struggle with that clearly upsets you.” She reaches out to dry a leftover tear that’s making its way down Lauren’s cheek. “If there’s something bothering you, you know that you can talk to me, right?”

Lauren nods. “I know. But I have Ally and Tori for that so…”

Camila pauses, and Lauren realizes that her response came across as if she was just brushing Camila’s offer under the rug. Before Lauren can start to panic about offending Camila, the girl smiles genuinely and reaches out to squeeze Lauren’s shoulder. “That’s great. You need a good support system.”

It’s the girl’s reaction and how sweet she’s being that makes Lauren think twice; perhaps she really can trust Camila with personal feelings like this.

“Well, I guess the main reason that I was cry—“

Camila frowns and interrupts her before she can go on. “No, Lauren, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t feel comfortable doing so.”

“Wait,” Lauren insists, shaking her head as she guides Camila to sit on the bed next to her. “I want to. I trust you.”

Focusing her eyes on Camila’s, Lauren grins as she attempts to convey to the girl that she’s being honest. After a moment, Camila returns the smile, gesturing for Lauren to go ahead.

“Remember how I asked you to help me be more outgoing and stuff?”

Camila nods.

“Well, sometimes my, uh, like um, you know,” Lauren stutters out, not really wanting to say the words ‘self-confidence issues’. “I guess like, my insecurities? Um, well they get to me sometimes. They frustrate me and I wish I didn’t have them and I’m kind of emotional sometimes so I get angry at myself easily. And then, yeah,  _this_  happens,” Lauren finishes as she gestures to her watery eyes.

Camila sits still for a moment, looking as if she’s mulling over Lauren’s explanation and formulating a response.

“I’m not going to pretend that I’m some professional or anything, and I don’t want to end up giving you the wrong advice. But I figure we could start with something simple? Next time you start to feel like that, text me and let me know. I’ll try and help you get your mind off of it so that you don’t end up being too upset. Does that sound okay?”

Biting her lip in thought, Lauren considers Camila’s suggestion as she tilts her head to the side. “That sounds like a good idea. I’d be willing to try that.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s worth a shot if it helps.”

“And then in between that, I can tell you that you look cute even with your shirt on backwards.”

Lauren furrows her brows. “Why would you do that?”

“Look down, valedictorian.”

Glancing down at herself, Lauren realizes that her shirt is indeed on backwards, the printed design not where it should be. She blushes at Camila’s chuckle, feeling silly at what she did because of her haste.

“Um, hang on a second.” Lauren dashes into her closet, quickly adjusting her top and exiting with her cheeks still red.

With one last fond shake of her head, Camila stands up and steps over to the dresser, picking up the tray she had before.

“I wanted to do breakfast for you in bed so I was going to make us pancakes but you didn’t have any mix  _but_  I still wanted to cook something since breakfast foods and  _Arroz Rojo_  are the only things I can make  _so_  I did some french toast instead because th—“ Camila interrupts herself, running out of breath because she just rambled that entire sentence out at once. She squeezes her eyes shut momentarily in embarrassment and pads over to Lauren, setting the tray down on the comforter. 

“I hope you like french toast.”

“I do, thanks Camz,” Lauren replies with a teasing smile.

They sit cross legged on Lauren’s bed, hunched over their plates as they watch the random episode of  _The Office_  that’s on. By the end of the show, all that’s left is the little puddles of maple syrup that their food was drowned in.

“That was so good. I’m so full,” Lauren groans out, flopping backwards onto the bed.

“I’m glad you liked it,” Camila says with a smile, draining the rest of her milk.

Lauren watches from her sideways point of view as Camila clears the tray from the bed to avoid any messes and settles herself comfortably next to Lauren, returning the cute smile Lauren offers.

“What’s your plan for today?” Camila asks as she shifts Lauren’s head onto her lap, gently stroking her hair through her fingers. 

There’s a blush forming on Lauren’s cheeks from the domesticity of the action that she’s hoping the girl won’t notice. “Um, I’m not sure. Ally and Tori are staying over tonight but we haven’t discussed anything else yet.”

As soon as Lauren finishes her sentence, both their phones go off, the group chat message tones ringing in the air. She sits up, retrieving her phone from the bedside table.

**Zayn: what is everyone up to today?**

**Normani: Nothing much**

**Tori: Ally and I are staying over at Laur’s tonight but that’s not until later**

**Dinah: i’m hangin’ w ari rn but nothin else besides that**

**Dinah: mila and lauren r probably gettin 2 no each other real good ;)**

Lauren peeks up at Camila who is sporting the same blush that she is. “What does Dinah mean by that?”

“Uh, I have, uh, no idea. She’s just, you know… being her annoying self,” Camila stutters out nervously.

**Camila: shut up D**

**Dinah: so i’m right???**

**Camila: no ur not stfu**

“D– does she know something I don’t?” Lauren asks hesitantly.

“No, no, she just loves talking shit.”

Eyeing Camila suspiciously, Lauren decides to drop it for now before glancing back down at her phone right as another message comes through.

**Zayn: well I was thinking everyone could come over to my place and hang out in the pool**

“Do you want to go to Zayn’s?” Camila asks as she looks up at Lauren.

Lauren opens her mouth to answer but her insecurities immediately start casting doubt on herself. She’s not sure if she can handle being that uncovered in front of other people. “Um, I don’t know if– because you know… and I just– it might not, because I’m… uh, you know, um, that’s probably not–“

“Whoa, whoa, Lauren take a breath,” Camila urges because Lauren’s pitch started rising as she spoke faster and faster, stumbling over her words.

“I’m– I’m sorry I just, I don’t know if I can handle…” she trails off, embarrassedly glancing away from the knowing look Camila gives her. 

“Lauren,” Camila says, and it’s the gentle way she voiced her name that has Lauren looking back at the girl. “Is this about you not feeling comfortable?”

Instead of verbally replying, Lauren just faintly nods, hating how her insecure thoughts make her act this way. She watches as Camila places her phone down onto the comforter, shuffling closer so that she can take Lauren’s hand in hers.

“First of all, don’t be embarrassed, because this is nothing to be ashamed of and I know what you’re thinking.”

Lauren is honestly surprised because she didn’t think Camila was that perceptive or that she was going to take this  _helping Lauren_  thing seriously.

“Secondly, I promised that I would help you out and I will. So tell me, if it weren’t for the bathing suits thing, would you want to go?”

“Yes. Yeah, I want to hang out with everyone.”

Camila nods, covering Lauren’s hand with her other one. “How about if you wore a pair of workout shorts and a tank top?”

“But everyone is going to laugh at me because I’ll be the only one wearing clothes,” Lauren disagrees with a frown.

This time, it’s Camila’s turn to frown. “You know that they’re your friends and they would never make fun of you. Also, people wear shorts and shirts all the time for swimming. It’s not unusual.”

“Yeah, but,” Lauren starts, huffing out through her nose in frustration. “I don’t want to do that. I mean like… I want to try new things and attempt other stuff so that I become more comfortable and confident, you know? I don’t want to keep hiding.”

Nodding understandably, Camila glances around in thought for a moment. “How would you feel about wearing a one piece?”

“I… could probably try that. Except that I don’t have one.”

“Normani has one that’s a little tight on her. You guys are the same height though, and it might fit you. Plus, it’s super cute without being too revealing. Want me to ask her to bring it?”

Lauren takes a moment to think it over, forcefully pushing away her feelings of self-doubt. “Okay. Yes, I want to try this. I’m going to… I can do this.”

“I believe in you,” Camila offers with a reassuring grin. “And if you feel too uncomfortable, just let me know, alright?”

“Okay, I will. I… thanks Camila.”

“Any time, baby,” the girl responds, and it has Lauren’s stomach flipping the same way it did the first time Camila called her that when her nose got hit.

Camila finally lets go of her hands to reach for her phone and Lauren can’t really help the disappointment she feels at losing that calming warmth.

“I’ll tell Zayn we’re in and Normani to bring the swimsuit. Then we can start getting ready to head over if you want?”

“Sure,” Lauren breathes out, because she’s nervous and anxious and apprehensive but… Camila makes her feel better.

~~

“Hey guys,” Zayn greets as he leans in to hug both girls. “You’re the last to arrive; everyone is in the back.”

They follow Zayn through his impressively sized house, heading into the kitchen to pass through the door leading into the lanai area. It’s clear that everyone else arrived not too long ago because no one is swimming yet and some are still wearing their clothes.

Camila brings the iced tea that they brought over to the snack table while Lauren drops their belongings on one of the free patio chairs. Zayn walks after Lauren, wearing his swimming trunks and a tank top so that his tattoos are on full display.

“You’ve never been to my house before, right?” Zayn asks.

Swallowing nervously, Lauren watches as Ariana begins removing her sundress to reveal her bikini underneath. “Nope, first time,” she answers as she brings her gaze back to Zayn.

“Oh, well we have hangouts here all the time. Especially during the summer… we practically live in the pool then. So you’ll get to know the place in no time.”

Lauren just nods instead of verbally replying, because the thought has her stomach turning uncomfortably and she’s beginning to regret coming today.

Shawn calls out to Zayn for some help with setting up the music, leaving Lauren by herself. She begins scanning the pool area, noticing how everyone is starting to strip down to their bathing suits. Ariana’s swimsuit compliments her slim figure, Normani has the body of a dancer so of course she’s flawless, Dinah’s got beautiful golden skin accented by her white suit, Shawn and Zayn both have attractive, muscled physiques, and Tori’s magnificent, curly hair drapes over her shoulders while she lathers sunscreen in between the intricate patterns of Ally’s flattering suit.

They all look so…  _good_.

Her friends all have bodies like models while Lauren feels like she can’t even compare. Coming today was definitely a bad idea.

Just as she’s about to turn around and book it, she sees Normani and her immaculate figure approaching her with a big smile.

“Nice to see you, Laur. Thanks for taking care of our Mila last night,” Normani says with a grin, wrapping her arms around Lauren’s shoulders in a tight hug. She leans back, handing a folded piece of fabric to Lauren. “Here’s the swimsuit for you. I’m almost positive that it’ll fit you.”

“Oh, um, thanks Normani, but I’m not sur–“

“Hi, Mani. Thanks for bringing that for Lauren.” Camila suddenly appears next to Lauren.

“Yeah, no problem. I think it’ll fit her really well.”

“You ready for this, Lo?” Camila asks as Normani heads back over to the pool, gesturing to what’s in her hands.

She wrings the fabric nervously between her fingers, licking her lips anxiously. “Yeah. I’ll uh, I’ll be right back.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Camila asks worriedly before Lauren can walk away.

Lauren shakes her head. “No, that’s okay. I’ll only be five minutes.”

Camila lets her go so Lauren wanders back into the house, searching the downstairs rooms until she stumbles across a bathroom. Flicking the light on and closing the door, she lays the suit down onto the counter and stares at her reflection in the mirror.

“I can do this. It’s not a big deal. It’s just a bathing suit. Everyone else is wearing one too. Camila said that it would be okay.” Dropping her head, Lauren shakes it at herself. “And you’re talking to yourself. Fantastic.”

Heaving out a sigh, she begins to undress, removing her clothing and stuffing it into the bag she brought with her. She holds the one piece out, noting that it actually is pretty cute. It’s solid black with spaghetti straps, and there’s a v that goes down the cleavage and stops right above the bellybutton, with a string the criss-crosses in the gap and ties at the breasts. It’ll definitely leave Lauren with a weird tan line, but she can see how it could be tasteful and flattering while not being overly revealing.

She slips it on, tugging it up her body and sliding the straps over her shoulders. The strings dangle down her torso so she ties them up into a simple bow.

Normani and Camila were right, because the suit fits her perfectly. It molds to the curves of her torso that she’s aware she has, a glimpse of her breasts visible through the slit. What she’s not really comfortable with, however, is how it doesn’t really cover her ass, the bottom half of her butt cheeks completely bare. She also feels self-conscious about the roll of her stomach clearly defined by the bathing suit. Flat, firm abs are what people like, not this extra bit of weight she’s got packed onto her tummy. She knows it’s not attractive and she hates that it’s so hard to get rid of.

A quick knock on the door makes Lauren jump, and she places a hand over her heart to calm its racing.

“Lo, are you okay? You’ve been gone for like ten minutes.”

Apparently she spent more time than she realized in her self-doubting because Camila has come looking for her.

“Y– yeah I’m fine,” Lauren calls out, hoping that she successfully hid the slight tremble in her voice. “I’m, um, coming out now.”

Taking a deep breath, Lauren grabs her bag before slowly opening the door. Camila is patiently standing on the other side with a smile on her face and her hands clasped loosely in front of her.

Lauren notices how Camila’s eyes widen when she completely steps out, and after she quickly turns around to switch the light off, Camila’s cheeks are definitely a shade darker.

“Holy shit, Lauren, you look fucki–” Camila begins to say, but stops herself as she brings her eyes back up to Lauren’s face.

Starting to feel too apprehensive, Lauren tries to use her bag to cover herself from Camila’s eyes. Before she can, though, the girl steps forward, comfortingly placing her hands on Lauren’s arms.

“I’m sorry,” Camila starts, offering a sweet smile to Lauren. “I’m working on being less douchey when I compliment people. What I meant to say was… you look so, so gorgeous, and you really have nothing to worry about.”

“Camila, you don’t have to–“

Camila shakes her head. “No, I mean it. I was being sincere when I said I wanted to help you. So I’m not saying this just to appease you. I’m saying it because you look genuinely beautiful, and I wish you could see what I see. I wish you could appreciate your stunning curves and how well you fit in that and just…”

“But,” Lauren says, placing a hand over her belly. “I hate this. It’s not supposed to stick out like this. It’s supposed to… to… to look like yours. Beautiful and flat and smooth,” Lauren finishes, gesturing towards Camila’s now bare stomach.

“Who told you that?” Camila asks rhetorically. “That doesn’t make you any less attractive than you already are, and it’s a beautiful part of you. You don’t think I wouldn’t change something about myself? Like… like maybe having a bigger chest? Mine is small, but yours is so full and gorgeous. I know that I won’t ever have that, but just because mine is smaller doesn’t make me less of who I am. And your stomach… doesn’t make you less of who you are. Of what you are: beautiful.”

Lauren is honestly kind of blown away by Camila’s impromptu speech. She knew that Camila promised to help Lauren out with this personal issue of hers but she didn’t expect the girl to feel so passionately about it.

Staring at Camila, Lauren blinks her wide green eyes as she struggles to come up with something to say, but Camila beats her to it.

“You don’t need to respond. And you don’t need to feel pressured to go outside either, alright? I just wanted you to know all that stuff.”

Lauren thinks about it for a moment, really appreciating how Camila isn’t forcing her or expecting her to suck it up. But when she replays the girl’s words over in her head, she feels a sense of calm and confidence wash over her. If Camila believes this strongly in her, why shouldn’t Lauren?

“Let’s go,” Lauren says, grasping Camila’s hand in hers.

“Huh?”

“Let’s go swim with our friends.”

The smile that Camila gives her makes Lauren that much happier for taking this leap of faith.

~~

It turns out that Lauren had nothing to worry about, because her friends don’t judge her or make her feel uncomfortable at all. In fact, Normani admits that the swimsuit looks better on Lauren than it did on her, Ally and Tori give Lauren encouraging smiles, and Zayn even makes a joke about how lucky he is to be surrounded by such attractive girls ( _after_  Lauren makes an appearance in her suit).

All in all, it’s a really fun day that at some points has Lauren completely forgetting about being self-conscious.

Dinner time rolls around so they decide to call it a day as they had been hanging out since before noon. Everyone either rode with someone or drove their own car, so one by one they all begin leaving. Lauren lets Camila know that she’ll hitch a ride with either Tori or Ally since they’re both staying over at her house the next few nights.

The little confidence boost Lauren got from Camila’s reassurance still hasn’t worn off, and honestly she’s been contemplating this all day. She’s never been very good at expressing her thoughts solely because she’s often too shy of what people will think, but Lauren convinces herself to take this step way out of her comfort zone because that’s the only way she’ll improve.

Saying a quick goodbye to Shawn, Lauren heads into the kitchen where she’s hoping she’ll find Zayn to thank him for the day. She walks in to see him reaching into a cabinet for a trash bag to replace the now full one.

“Thanks for today, Zayn. It was a lot of fun.”

“Yeah, no problem. I’m really glad you could make it. Who knew you were so good at pool volleyball?”

Lauren giggles, then begins fiddling with her hair as she feels her nerves rising. She glances out of the window to find Ally and Tori in conversation with Camila as they gather their belongings.

_Now or never._

“I um… I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Sure, what about?” Zayn asks as he turns to give Lauren his attention.

She glances outside again, watching as Camila throws her head back in laughter at something Tori said. Focusing back on Zayn, Lauren swallows the lump in her throat, begging herself to get out what she wants to say before she chickens out.

“I… um… I–“

“Lauren, what’s wrong?” Zayn asks, taking a step closer to Lauren.

“I… I…”

_Just say it_ , Lauren berates herself. _Stop being a fucking coward and say it_.

She exhales hard through her nose, shoving down her apprehension and grasping at the last bit of her confidence.

“I have a crush on you.”

~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i recently wrote a camren oneshot that's like half smut half plot, so if you're interested in that it's on my wattpad and ao3 profile, and it's called you're finer than some wine.
> 
> anyways, y'all thought the zauren drama was over, hm? sorry amigos
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> check me out on wattpad
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

**Camila: hey! did u have fun today?**

Dropping her phone back onto her bed, Camila furrows her brows as she towels herself dry. She had texted that to Lauren over an hour ago when she got home from the pool party because she didn’t get a chance to ask Lauren in person. The girl was in a deep conversation with Zayn while Camila herself was preoccupied with Ally’s story of how she broke things off with Troy because he didn’t turn out to be the guy she thought he was (and Tori looked about ready to murder Troy during Ally’s spiel).

It’s unlike Lauren to go too long without answering a text message unless she’s sleeping, and seen as it’s only 7:00, Camila highly doubts that she is. She’s not going to think too hard on it though; Ally and Tori are probably occupying Lauren’s time and in between that, showering, and getting dinner, Camila assumes that the girl is just honestly too engaged at the moment.

Except, when it hits 11:00 and there’s still no word from Lauren, Camila does get a little concerned. She contemplates calling the girl but before she can, her phone rings, Zayn’s contact name flashing across her screen.

“Hey, what’s up?”

Zayn doesn’t even offer a greeting. “Are you with Lauren?”

“No… why?”

“It’s just… earlier she… fuck!”

“What are you talking about?” Camila demands, because Zayn is starting to make her panic. “What happened to Lauren? Is she okay?”

She hears a huff through the line and begins nibbling on her bottom lip in worry. “Physically, she’s fine. Emotionally, not so much.”

“What the fuck did you do Zayn?!”

“Nothing, nothing! God, I didn’t do shit!”

“Then explain to me what the fuck is going on!”

Zayn shuts a door on the other side of the line and she’s assuming he just locked himself in his room. “Okay, so after we were done swimming, she came up to me saying she had to talk to me about something. And she kept like, looking at you so I honestly thought she was going to admit something to do with you. But then she… fuck… she…”

“Spit it out,” Camila urges.

“She said that she has a crush on me.”

Camila goes silent, halting her earlier alarmed pacing as she flops down onto the edge of her bed. Running a hand through her hair, Camila squeezes her eyes shut, because  _this was not how it was supposed to go_.

“Mila?”

“I… what did you say?”

This time Zayn goes silent for a moment. “I said that… I told her that… this is– this is why she’s upset right now. Because I had to tell her that I didn’t like her like that anymore, even though I totally fucking do.”

“Hold on. You said you liked her?!”

“It was before you told me you liked her! And fuck, I thought I told you,” Zayn explains desperately. Camila wants to be upset with him, but she knows it’s not fair to be.

“But why is she so upset?”

Zayn exhales loudly through the phone. “I had to tell her that we couldn’t be anything, and when she asked why, I couldn’t exactly tell her that it’s because  _you_  fucking like her. Now she basically hates me, Mila, because I’m trying to be a good friend here and keep your secret.”

Guilt starts building up in Camila’s gut, because Zayn isn’t even wrong. He had to lie to Lauren and make himself come across as the bad guy because Camila is too chicken shit to just tell Lauren she likes her. Granted, Camila is pretty obvious about her feelings but Lauren is most likely not used to that kind of attention so Camila can’t really blame the girl for not recognizing it as flirting.

Camila also understands that for Lauren to admit something like that to Zayn, it must have taken a lot of courage on her part. So for Lauren to work up the nerve to confess her feelings to Zayn only to be shot down, especially if Zayn had already confirmed earlier that her feelings were returned, just makes Camila feels really bad, because she put one of her best friends in a terrible situation and practically forced him to hurt Lauren.

She hears Zayn sigh over the line again and it makes Camila realize something. He had agreed to not get involved with Lauren romantically because of Camila’s feelings for the girl, and that in itself was one thing. But for Camila to ask him to continue to do so when Lauren at least returns  _his_  feelings…  _that_  doesn’t seem fair. Why should he be forced to stay away from someone he likes just because Camila likes them too? It’s one thing to have feelings for that person first, but it’s another thing altogether when that person doesn’t return them.

At least in this case, Zayn and Lauren have mutual interest, whereas Camila’s been pining from afar for much too long. She knows that she’s had plenty of opportunities to act on her feelings, but she wasted so much time not doing anything about them. 

Maybe her chances are finally up.

“Mila, you still there?”

Zayn’s voice breaks through Camila’s disheartening thoughts.

“I– yeah, yeah, I’m here. Listen. I’m… I’m sorry. I hate that I put you in this situation and just like… I know it’s, you know, my fault with all of this, and…” Camila’s always been bad at apologizing to people, Lauren apparently being the only exception. “It wouldn’t be fair of me to make you stay away from her, so… you don’t have to worry about covering for me. She’s into you and she’s like, the greatest fucking person in the entire world, so I won’t be mad.”

Zayn’s quiet for a moment, so Camila uses that as a chance to get her emotions in check, knowing that she’ll have to see a lot more heartbreak in the near future.

“Don’t be so hasty, Mila.”

“What?”

“Lauren doesn’t know that you have feelings for her. Maybe she only feels this way about me because I said something first.” There’s another sigh through the speakers as Zayn pauses for a second. “Look, out of everyone,  _you've_  been showing her the most attention,  _you're_  the one putting in the most effort. So there’s a possibility that she feels something for you too. You won’t know, though, unless you say something first. My rejection probably erased what little confidence Lauren had in admitting her feelings to anyone, so at this point it’s up to you to fix that.”

“Zayn, no I can’t make you–“

“I’m not going to pursue Lauren, okay? I know how much you like her, and maybe you love her, maybe you don’t, but that’s got to count for something, right? It’s obvious that she means the world to you, so for fuck’s sake,  _do_  something about it.”

And then to lighten the heavy mood that had settled over them, Zayn adds: “And stop being such a fucking pussy.  _God_ , it’s embarrassing to be seen with you sometimes.”

“You’re an asshole, you know that?” Camila asks rhetorically, continuing before Zayn can butt in. “The best asshole anyone could ever ask for.”

“Yeah yeah yeah,” Zayn chuckles good-naturedly.

Camila laughs back. “Love you, jerk.”

“Mhm. Love you too—” he says back, and because he’s Zayn,”—pussy.”

When they finally hang up, Camila already feels a little better. Honestly, she sometimes feels like she takes Zayn for granted, because no matter what, he always looks out for her. She knows that she owes him a lot, but she’s determined to make it all up to him somehow, at some point. For now, she just has to focus on what the fuck she’s going to say to Lauren.

It’s too late right now to go see the girl, and she doesn’t want to do this over the phone, so Camila surmises that she’ll go visit Lauren tomorrow. And hopefully, she can figure out how to fix this situation.

~~

When Camila wakes up the next morning, there’s still no reply from Lauren so she can only guess how the girl is feeling. Camila knows that most people probably wouldn’t take the rejection as badly as Lauren likely has, but then again, most people aren’t Lauren. The bullying coupled with Lauren’s personal issues equal some self-confidence problems that Camila wishes she could make go away.

To Camila, not only does Lauren have a beautiful appearance, but her soul is also one to be admired. Camila adores the other girl’s personality and quirks, her habits and ticks, every single little thing about her appeals to Camila. She believes that Lauren deserves only the best things in life and wants to protect the girl from any harm, whether physical or emotional.

Which is why Camila needs to sort this out. Because not only is Lauren hurting, but also because Zayn took the bullet that deserves to be lodged in Camila’s chest.

She knows what she has to do, she knows what needs to be said. She’s just not sure if she can.

Fiddling nervously with her fingers as the line keeps ringing, Camila huffs when she’s finally sent to voicemail. If Lauren didn’t answer her texts, it was likely that her calls weren’t going to be answered either, but it was worth a shot either way. 

Camila doesn’t want to just show up at the girl’s house unannounced, so she decides to try Tori next. Thankfully, the girl picks up on the third ring.

“Hey, Camila. Is everything okay?” Tori asks, because they don’t usually contact each other.

“Yeah, um. I’ve just been trying to get a hold of Lauren, but she isn’t replying or picking up.”

“Oh,” Tori says, inhaling before continuing on. “Something happened at the pool party yesterday – Ally and I have no idea what – but it’s left Lauren pretty upset. We’ve just been trying to distract her for the past sixteen hours.”

“Well, uh, I may know what’s bothering her. Is it okay if I come over? I might be able to help you guys out.”

“You do? What is it about?”

Camila scratches at her chin, knowing she can’t back out now. “I think it would be better if I explained it to Lauren in person first.”

“Yeah, sure, that’s understandable. Come on over whenever. You know where she lives?”

“I’ve been there once or twice.”

~~

It's only when Camila knocks on the front door does she start to feel the nerves rising in her stomach. She contemplates turning around and leaving but the door swings open before she can take a step.

“Hey, Camila,” Ally greets with a soft smile. “Come on in.” The girl moves to the side to allow Camila entry, obviously already knowing the reason for why she’s visiting.

“Thanks for stopping by. Lauren’s been more quiet than usual but she won’t tell us what’s wrong.”

“Well, I hope I can help out. I hate knowing that she’s upset.”

“If anyone can make her talk, it’s you.”

Raising her eyebrows at Ally, Camila tilts her head in confusion. “What makes you say that?”

“Trust me,” Ally says with a slight giggle, then leans closer as she lowers her voice. “Between you and I – because Lauren would be pissed if I told you this – the girl seriously  _adores_ you. For example, she always manages to find a way to bring you up in conversation. It’s funny because she thinks she’s being subtle about it, but she’s honestly not. She really cares about you; both Tori and I can tell.”

This information surprises Camila, because while she knew that Lauren appreciated her to some degree, she didn’t realize just how much. Even if her romantic feelings aren’t returned, it’s nice knowing that Lauren values their friendship.

“Is she okay to talk right now?”

“Yeah, we were all just watching a movie in her room. I came down to grab a drink when you knocked. Follow me.”

Ally leads Camila up towards Lauren’s room which she already knows the way to, even though she’s only been here twice. When they walk through the doorway, she finds Lauren sprawled out on a beanbag at the foot of her bed while Tori is propped up against the headboard, a gap next to her where Ally was clearly sitting beforehand.

At the commotion coming from the door, both Lauren and Tori turn towards the other girls, but Camila only sees Lauren and her adorably disheveled hair. The television screen lights up Lauren’s face, making the fading bruise around her nose seem more prominent. 

The girl’s eyes widen in surprise when they land on Camila, and she sits up hurriedly as she nudges her glasses up her nose.

“C– Camz, what are you doing here?”

Camila steps further in, seeing how Lauren doesn’t even notice Tori pause the movie and leave the room along with Ally.

“I came to see you, of course.”

“You wanted to see me?” she says, standing up from the beanbag as Camila approaches. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

Camila shrugs. “It was kind of a spur of the moment thing.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” Lauren admits shyly, taking a seat on the edge of her bed as Camila sits next to her.

“Yeah?” Camila says fondly with a smile, reaching forward to smooth down Lauren’s wild hair. She feels her heart jump at the pink cheeks and precious look on the girl’s face.

As much as Camila wants to admire Lauren’s happy expression, she came here for a specific purpose and she knows that she needs to address it before she chickens out and bolts.

“So, I heard that you weren’t feeling too well.”

Lauren glances away, avoiding eye contact. “It’s, uh, it’s nothing.”

Knowing that Lauren most likely will be hesitant in admitting anything, Camila decides to bite the bullet and jump straight into it. “Zayn called me.”

“Oh,” Lauren says, a frown beginning to form on her face. “He shouldn’t have done that.”

“You know why he did that, right?”

“He thought it was funny?” Lauren guesses with a bitter shrug of her shoulders.

“What? No, of course not,” Camila quickly gets out. “He cares a lot about you, Lauren. He called me because he was worried about you. He knew that you left unhappily and he wanted to make sure that you were alright.”

“Why would he care though? He admitted that he had a crush on me, then when I told him I did too he shot me down. And… and he didn’t even give a good reason why!”

Taking a deep breath, Camila knows that she has to do this. She can’t let her friend take the fall for her when he’s already done so much. Zayn deserves to have his name cleared and Lauren deserves to know the truth — even if Camila is scared shitless right now.

“He did that because… well, because he was covering for someone else.”

If the situation were less significant, Camila would take the time to find Lauren’s confused head tilt absolutely adorable.

“I don’t understand.”

Camila sighs shakily. “Someone that Zayn is close to has a crush on you, and out of respect for their feelings — since they’ve liked you for a really long time — he is not going to pursue you. That person didn’t want you to know about their crush, though, so Zayn wasn’t able to use that as his explanation for why he turned you down. In turn, he had to come across as the bad guy to keep his friend’s secret.”

Lauren stares at Camila silently in slight shock, her eyes wide and jaw open as she tries to absorb and process Camila’s words. 

“I… I don’t– this is…” the girl stutters out, her hands laying motionless on her lap.

“But,” Camila continues. “This person realized that for Zayn’s sake and yours, they need to come clean. They need to be honest.”

 Finally, Lauren gets ahold of herself and swallows thickly before she speaks. “So then, why are you here?” she asks, but Camila can tell that the girl most likely knows the answer. She just wants confirmation. 

“Well… this is me being honest.”

“You–“ Lauren starts, cutting herself off and holding her breath as she stares at Camila.

“Yeah. I like you, Lauren.”

The girl sits there gazing at Camila, unlike her wide eyed staring from before. She has an expression on her as if she’s piecing things together, trying to make sense of this new information.

Camila starts getting uncomfortable because Lauren is just  _watching_  her and she admitted something that she’s honestly really nervous about. She doesn’t want this admission ruining their friendship and chasing Lauren away. The girl is finally a constant in Camila’s life and if she lost that… she doesn’t want to think about it.

Shifting on the bed, Lauren sucks in a breath, glancing down at her fingers for a moment as she fiddles with them. “So all this time… you’ve been flirting with me?”

“All this time,” Camila confirms with a chuckle. “I’m a little surprised that you didn’t pick up on it, to be honest."

“I didn’t want to assume anything. Plus, I’m not really all that good at recognizing it,” Lauren replies as she blushes.

Camila knows that the next question is coming before Lauren even asks it. “How long have you liked me?”

This time it’s Camila’s turn to blush. “A really, really long time. Since… since the first time I saw you. In our freshman year.”

~~

Walking through the double doors, Camila knows that this year can be different. She’s at a different school, she’s in high school now, these people don’t know her, and she can convince everyone that she’s not someone to be fucked with. 

She’s not going to let people treat her the way they did in middle school.

Her first day goes by pretty uneventfully and nobody bothers her at all. In fact, her first run in with someone occurs because she  _herself_  initiated it.

Students begin flooding the halls as the dismissal bell rings. Camila is maneuvering her way through the crowd to get to her locker when she notices something out of her peripheral and turns around to see books scattered on the dirty linoleum floors and someone crouched down to desperately pick them up before they get trampled on. Nobody is helping this poor girl, and at a quick glance it seems as if some even find her predicament amusing.

Camila had really been trying to avoid confrontation but she’s not just going to stand around and leave the girl to fend for herself. Marching the few steps to the wall across from the lockers, Camila approaches the girl, bending down to begin helping her collect her belongings.

The girl doesn’t notice Camila at first, too preoccupied in locating all her things, but as she turns around grab some loose papers that are littered on the floor too, she squeaks in surprise when she spots Camila kneeling next to her with the worksheets already in her hands. When Camila sees the girl’s face, however, she completely forgets what she was even doing in the first place.

In the back of Camila’s mind, she recognizes how cliche this moment is; she swears she’s seen it in every chick flick ever. But she honestly can’t help it because surely, she’s witnessing the face of an angel.

This girl has to be the most beautiful human being Camila has ever seen. She’s only fourteen, but she’s sure of it.

Her hair is long, wavy, and brown, nearly brushing the floor when she leans forward to pick something up. She’s got plump, pouty lips, and her green eyes are so bright they’re practically glowing. There are black framed glasses sitting on her nose and freckles dotted across her cheeks and right under where the glasses are sitting.

“Sorry,” the girl gets out nervously, and if Camila wasn’t so distracted by her voice, she might wonder why exactly the girl is apologizing.

Camila shakes her head slightly, attempting to ground herself long enough to form a reply. “A– are you okay?”

“Um, yeah, I’m… yeah I’m fine,” the girl stutters out as she continues to gather her things, accepting the papers Camila hands to her.

“Did someone bump into you?”

“Uh huh, it was just an accident though. It’s… I’m okay,” the girl says as they finish picking up her belongings. “Th– thanks for helping me.”

Standing up from their place on the floor, she offers Camila a smile so sweet that she feels her stomach flip. Camila watches the girl walk away and only then realizes that not only did she not get her name, but she’s still crouching in the middle of the hallway for no reason.

She doesn’t talk to the mystery girl again for a while, but Camila certainly doesn’t forget about her.

~~

Lauren ends up asking her a couple more things, like who else knows, or how Zayn feels about it. Camila answers as best she can, a majority of the time with a blush on her face because Lauren is making her feel flustered with all of the questions.

They finally hit a lull in the conversation where it seems like Lauren is satisfied with the answers and Camila has no idea how to fill it. Lauren is just watching her, an unreadable expression on her face and Camila has honestly never felt so unnerved before.

“Was there, uh, something else you wanted to ask me?” Camila asks as her gaze flits around because she can’t look Lauren in the eyes right now.

“No, I’ve asked everything. I’m just…” she trails off, still just  _staring_  at Camila.

“Just what?”

“Just… I can’t believe that you like me.” All of a sudden Lauren is looking bashful, and Camila doesn’t get how this girl can go from confident to shy in two seconds.

Shrugging a shoulder, Camila smiles softly at Lauren. “I really do. Because you’re so amazing and I can’t get enough of you,” Camila murmurs, figuring that she’s already put herself out there this much; what’s a little further?

“You’re really sweet,” Lauren replies as she nudges her glasses up her nose.

“Well, something about you brings this mushy side out of me.”

“I like it. I like that side of you.”

Camila finds the nerve to reach out and grasp Lauren’s hand because if the girl hasn’t run away yet, she must not be totally put off by Camila’s crush. “It likes you too. All of me likes you.”

Lauren gives Camila’s hand a squeeze and she figures that now is as good a time as any to get the logistics out of the way.

“I hope that this doesn’t change anything between us. I don’t expect you to return my feelings or do anything about this information. I really enjoy being around you and if friends is all we’ll be, well, then…” Camila sighs to herself because this isn’t easy but she’s not going to force Lauren into a relationship. “I’d be okay with that. As long as I get to be around you.”

She’s hoping that Lauren doesn’t catch the fact that her happy expression isn’t completely genuine because the last thing that she wants is Lauren agreeing to give them a try out of pity for Camila’s feelings.

If they’re going to be a thing, it has to be 100% real.

“I appreciate that. I know that you would never pressure me to do anything. I still want us to be close though, because even though I don’t feel the same way you do about me, I…” Lauren trails off, her cheeks heating up with a blush.

“You what?” Camila prompts with a squeeze to Lauren’s hand.

“You’re… I find… I think that, um, you’re, uh…  _attractive_ ,” she practically whispers out, biting her lip sheepishly.

“Lauren Jauregui, did you just admit that you think I’m hot?”

Lauren smacks Camila’s arm gently at her teasing tone as they break out into light giggles.

Once they both quiet down, Lauren sighs quietly as she turns to Camila. “Thanks for telling me. And I’ll try not to be so oblivious anymore.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll work on that,” Camila responds with a grin.

“Sounds like a plan.”

~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> even before i started writing this fic, i had already planned on it being somewhat of a slow burn. i'm telling you now that it is going to take a little while for them to finally get together, because lauren still has to develop feelings for camila. but my idea was that camila would attempt to essentially win lauren's feelings over, so even though you won't get full on camren right away, you will get a lot of cute/jealous/dramatic lauren and camila moments intended to help progress lauren's feelings.
> 
> stick with me, because i know updates are slow but i'm most definitely not losing interest in this story.
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> check me out on wattpad
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

Nothing much changes.

Camila is still entirely too sweet to Lauren, complimenting her and encouraging her to step out of her comfort zone. They still hang out and text just as much, and nothing in their dynamic is different. The only thing that really changes is that now Lauren is aware of the meaning behind Camila’s actions and words: flirty.

Lauren feels a little embarrassed that she never picked up on it until Camila had to spell it out for her, but in her defense, it’s the first time that someone has ever flirted with her before (Lauren  _thinks_ ; she knows that it’s possible that someone has before and she didn’t realize, but she finds it hard to believe).

Whenever Camila would compliment her before, it always made Lauren feel flustered, but now, with the knowledge that it’s straight up flirting, the flipping in her stomach has multiplied. 

Lauren can’t help blushing every time Camila flatters her, and she’s pretty sure that the girl knows it too. It’s like Camila enjoys getting that reaction out of Lauren.

The thing is, while Lauren is now fully aware of Camila’s feelings for her, she herself still has feelings for Zayn. And at this point, she’s not really sure what to do.

Camila likes Lauren, Lauren likes Zayn, Zayn likes Lauren.

If she started something with Zayn, it wouldn’t be the most outrageous thing in the world since they have mutual feelings for each other. But Lauren knows that Camila’s feelings for her are stronger and have been around much longer than Zayn’s. She also realizes that they’re best friends and starting something with either one could lead to a mess in their friend group.

So, at this point, as flattered as Lauren is that two of the most attractive people in school like her, she really has no idea what to do. She doesn’t want to start problems but she doesn’t want to completely ignore the reality either (she never thought in a million years that she’d ever be part of a  _love triangle_  with her in the middle).

The bell rings signaling the end of the school day and Lauren realizes that she spent her entire class fretting over the  _dire_  situation she’s in where two insanely gorgeous people like her.

She rolls her eyes at herself because she honestly never thought that she’d have this problem. It sounds ridiculous just to say it out loud.

Lauren is still deep in her thoughts when Ally and Tori approach her at where she had been waiting for them by her car.

“I can’t believe he had the audacity to say that to you,” Lauren hears Tori say as they near her. “He’s such a fucking dick.”

“I honestly don’t know what I ever saw in him,” Ally replies with a scowl on her face.

It takes Lauren a moment but she assumes that they’re talking about Troy, and Ally’s brief relationship with him.

“Honestly, you deserve so much better, Ally,” Tori says, the two girls finally reaching Lauren’s car. Tori turns to greet Lauren, missing the smile on Ally’s face at her comment.

Lauren leans in to hug them both because they’ve always been very friendly and close and it’s practically second nature at this point. “Hey guys. Everything okay?”

Ally nods, walking around to the passenger side to enter the car. “Yeah, I’m good. Troy was being dumb and tried to bother me but Tori helped me out.”

“Need me to set Camila on him?” Lauren asks jokingly but realizes that the moment she does, she’s going to have to endure a car ride full of teasing.

The night after Camila had admitted her feelings, Lauren had spilled to Ally and Tori because while she felt a little bad that this was probably private information, she honestly had no idea what to do or how to handle it. She knew that she needed her friends to sort her thoughts out and figure out what to do from there.

After walking them through what happened, they helped Lauren make sense of the situation and establish what she wanted to do from there. How she needed to make sure she didn’t lead them both on and that if she was interested in pursuing a relationship, she would need to make her mind up quickly of who she’d pursue it with. And of course once they were done with that, they proceeded to tease her because, duh, what friends wouldn’t? Lauren figured they were just excited that they even had one person to tease her about, let alone two.

“No, no, no need for that, Lauren,” Ally says with a sarcastic eye roll.

“Yeah, we don’t all have hot tattooed badasses willing to kick someone’s ass for us,” Tori adds with a smirk as she climbs into the back seat.

“True,” Ally muses. “But I do have you for that and I think that’s good enough.”

Through the rearview mirror, Lauren sees Tori’s face brighten at Ally’s comment. “Thanks, Allycat! You know I’d always defend you.”

“Yeah, that is until you get  _your_  ass kicked,” Lauren says, smirking at Tori’s reflection.

“Oh hush, Laur. It’s the effort that counts,” Ally chastises not unkindly.

Tori sticks her tongue out at Lauren who returns it right away, and the rest of the car ride is spent with the three girls teasing each other over the loud music.

~~

“So what are you going to do about it, Laur?”

“Do about what?” Lauren asks, barely sparing a glance at Ally as the TV continues to play  _High School Musical 2_. 

“You know,” Ally continues, shifting in her seat. “About Zayn and Camila. Zaynmila.”

That gets Lauren’s attention. “Ew, don’t call them that,” she complains with a scowl.

“Why?” Tori pipes up from her place next to Ally. “Don’t like the idea of both your  _lovers_  being taken?”

Lauren can’t help her blush at the word  _lovers_  and attempts to hide her face from the two girls. “They’re not my lovers.”

“But I bet you want them to be.”

“You’re not helping.”

“Why chose? Why not have both of them?”

“I can’t tell if you’re encouraging an open relationship or polyamory.”

Tori raises a brow as she smirks. “Does it matter?”

“Ally,” Lauren whines. “Make her stop.”

“Leave Laur alone. Let’s not make this any harder for her.”

Crossing her arms, Tori begrudgingly backs down. “I was just joking,” she mumbles to no one in particular.

“Have you honestly thought about it though?” Ally asks.

Lauren sighs, letting her head fall back against the couch in defeat. “I don’t know what to do. I didn’t ask for this! Like, how am I supposed to choose between my friends?! That seems so– it’s just– I don’t want… ugh!” Grabbing a spare pillow from the sofa, Lauren buries her face in it and screams into the cushion at the same moment Troy throws his fists up in the air at the end of  _Bet On It_.

The two girls watch as Lauren has a small fit, yelling her frustration out into the pillow.

“Ally, I don’t think she  _bet on it_  being so difficult.”

“Shut the fuck up, Tori.”

~~

**Camila: hey cutie**

“Why are you blushing? Did Zayn or Camila send you a nude?” Tori prods as she struggles to see the screen of Lauren’s phone.

“N– no Tor, go– go away!” Lauren half laughs out as she rolls across the top of her mattress away from the girl.

“Let me see!” Diving over the bed, Tori reaches out for the phone, landing square on top of Lauren and knocking the wind out of her.

“ _Hey Cutie_? Shit, Laur, you have that girl completely wrapped around your finger.”

Shoving Tori’s unmoving body off of her, Lauren swings her legs over the edge of the bed as she sits up. “No I don’t.”

“Uh, yeah you do,” Tori argues as she attempts to reorganize the clothes her and Lauren messed up by wrestling on the bed.

“Just cause Ally had to go home doesn’t mean that you get to tease me some more.”

“No, but the fact that I’m one of your best friends means that I can.”

“Yeah yeah.” Lauren’s reply is half-assed as she taps a response on her phone’s keyboard.

**Lauren: I believe you messaged the wrong person. You should double check the number.**

**Camila: triple checked and oh look i still texted the right person :)**

**Lauren: Then I believe you have a typo in your first message**

“Quit flirting with your girlfriend and come be my model,” Tori complains from behind Lauren.

Cursing herself silently because she blushes way too easily at comments like that, Lauren locks her phone as she turns to Tori. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Not yet. Do you want her to be, though?” Tori asks, and Lauren can tell that for once she’s not teasing.

“I mean, it’s kind of soon to ask that…”

“Could you see it happening one day?”

“Well, yeah, I think I could. Because she’s always so nice to me and treats me really well. She’s caring, thoughtful, attentive. She makes me feel good about myself, and… and she’s really pretty too. Camila’s kind of how I imagined it would be like to date someone. Just without the kissing and– yeah without the kissing.”

Tori nods, thinking over her words for a moment. “How does Zayn make you feel?”

“Sort of the same I guess? He was really welcoming and is super easy to get along with. I feel like I can unapologetically be myself around him.”

Pursing her lips, Tori mulls over Lauren’s words. “I’m trying to hold a neutral stance here for a moment. Let’s see… who do you imagine going to prom with this year?”

“I– that’s a long time from now, Tori,” Lauren mumbles.

“Okay, so pretend it was next week. Who would watch you walk down the stairs in a stunning gown, probably speechless the moment they lay eyes on you?”

“You can’t…”

Offering an encouraging smile, Tori gently nudges her. “Who would you imagine?”

“Well…” Lauren begins as she sorts her thoughts out. “I’m not really sure, but I suppose the first thing I thought of when you mentioned that was what dress Camila would wear to prom.”

“Alright, alright. That’s a start. Next question. If Brad and Austin were bothering you, who would be there to defend you?”

Lauren frowns. “That one is kind of easy. Camila obviously, seen as she’s already defended me a couple of times.”

“Last question, because it’s a little more loaded and I don’t want to overwhelm you. Who do you want to kiss more?”

Eyes widening in shock, Lauren’s head begins to fill with images before she can even stop it. She starts off by seeing warm brown eyes, followed by slightly pouty lips, and at first it’s hard to tell who she’s kissing in her head. But then she realizes that her hands are buried in long, thick hair and that she can feel curves sensually pressed up against her own body.

_Camila_.

When Lauren finally snaps out of her daydream, she glances up to see Tori watching her. There’s no teasing look on the girl’s face, though; instead, she’s waiting patiently for Lauren to establish her thoughts.

“I…”

Tori shakes her head. “You don’t have to tell me. I can already guess who it was. All I’ll say is this: when you answered my first question, you made Zayn sound like a really good friend. Camila did not sound like just a friend to you.”

Fiddling with her hands, Lauren ponders over Tori’s comments and her own answers to the girl’s questions.  _Maybe she's onto something_ …

“Have you ever tried flirting with her?”

Lauren shrugs. “Not really, I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I don’t know how.”

“Of course you do,” Tori scoffs. “Want to bet that if you make an effort it’ll come naturally to you?”

“What does that even mean?”

Waving her hand in the air, Tori takes a breath. “Never mind. But what I’m saying is, why don’t you give it a shot. Flirt with her a little, see what happens.”

“I’m too nervous to flirt with her like that.”

“Well, what about if you did it through text? Would that be easier for you?”

Lauren thinks about it for a moment, noting that she does feel a little more comfortable when texting someone. “Yeah, most likely.”

“Alright, then give it a shot.”

“You sure?” Lauren asks hesitantly.

Tori nods, reaching out to place a comforting hand on Lauren’s arm. “Don’t fret too much, alright? You’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” Lauren says as she nods her head. “Okay, I’ll try it. I’ll do it.”

“‘Atta girl. Anyways, you should probably reply to her. Wouldn’t want to keep her waiting, would you?” Tori asks with a smirk, handing Lauren’s phone over to her.

**Camila: oh yeah ur right my bad**

**Camila: *hey ultra mega super cutie**

**Lauren: You’re such a dork**

“I wasn’t kidding about the modelling thing. You can still text her but I want to try on your secret closet clothes with my hottie of a best friend. Like honestly, I can’t believe you kept this side of you a secret from me! You’re going to look so hot in these clothes. Now go, go try this on,” Tori rambles on as she sorts through the different clothing.

“Okay, okay,” Lauren says with an exaggerated eye roll as she grabs the outfit Tori is holding out to her.

~~

Ever since Tori had gone home, Lauren had been thinking about what the girl had said. Her conversation with Camila halted sometime around dinner, and currently the ball is in her court to start it back up.

She’s contemplating whether she should give this flirting thing a shot, and a part of her is extremely excited to do so. The other half, however, is apprehensive and worried about doing or saying something wrong. Lauren doesn’t want to make a fool out of herself.

But then she remembers that this is Camila she’s dealing with… and Camila has more than proved herself already as someone who doesn’t judge Lauren and appreciates her for who she is.

Lauren flops down onto her mattress after finishing getting ready for bed. She replaces her phone with her glasses on the bedside table and rolls onto her back, opening up her conversation with Camila.

**Lauren: You better not be sleeping yet**

**Camila: what if i was and u just woke me up**

_Here goes nothing_ , Lauren thinks to herself.

**Lauren: Well then maybe I’d call you a cutie in return and you’d forgive me**

**Camila: i am here and i am awake what’s up let’s talk i’m ready to talk are u**

Giggling at Camila’s reply, Lauren turns onto her side as she types a response back.

**Lauren: So I’m forgiven?**

**Camila: ur assuming i could ever be mad in the first place**

**Lauren: Oh, my bad. I wouldn’t want to assume, you know what happens when you do that**

**Camila: something about asses right?**

**Lauren: Your ass, my ass, yeah something like that**

**Camila: oh, i like where this is going ;)**

**Lauren: To the gutter?**

**Camila: ur assuming it ever left**

**Lauren: Uh oh, I feel like this is circling around to come back and bite me in the ass-ume**

**Camila: if u want i can take its place as ass biter**

“Subtle, Camz,” Lauren mumbles to herself as she licks her lips while coming up with a reply.

**Lauren: I’ll consider it**

**Camila: this may potentially ruin the mood, but i just wanted to say**

**Camila: ur being very open and playful tonight and i really like it**

**Camila: shit i don’t mean that in a flirty way i mean it like it makes me really happy to know that ur that comfortable with me**

Grinning to herself, Lauren switches over to her chat with Tori and sends off a quick text saying how she followed the girl’s advice successfully and that Camila really enjoyed it. Tori replies with a few words of encouragement and Lauren feels proud of herself for accomplishing something even as miniscule as flirting.

**Lauren: Well, you make it easy to be comfortable with you**

The girl’s next text makes Lauren pause for a moment.

**Camila: can i call u**

Lauren feels herself start to get nervously excited at the idea of hearing Camila’s voice, so instead of replying with a yes, she hits the call button on Camila’s contact profile.

“Hello?” is heard after only one ring.

“Hey,” Lauren replies as she bites her lip.

Camila laughs breathlessly through the speaker. “I didn’t think you’d say yes, let alone call me first.”

Pausing for a moment to consider her words, Lauren switches her bedside light off, preferring to have this conversation in the comforting darkness of her room. “Like I said, you make it easy.”

“And  _you_  have no idea what you do to me, do you?”

“Maybe you should tell me.”

“ _Fuck_ , Lauren. You just… you make me the best kind of crazy. I’m happy anytime I get to see you or speak to you.”

“Well, I mean, same,” Lauren says kind of lamely, smiling at the chuckle Camila lets out.

She hears some shuffling through the phone then Camila’s voice comes through again. “So, how was your day?”

“Besides school, it was fine. Hung out with Tori and Ally, watched High School Musical 2.”

“You didn’t watch the first one?”

“The second one is better.”

There’s silence for a moment before Camila speaks up a little louder. “You’re kidding me right?”

“No…? I’m… not…?”

“You didn’t just say that the second one is better.”

“But I did though.”

Camila huffs and then there’s more shuffling like she’s sitting up or moving around. “But you didn’t mean it.”

“But I did though.”

“Oh my, god,” the girl exclaims. “What, next are you going to tell me that Shrek 2 is better than the first one?”

“I mean, number two kind of is better, so…”

“Nope, nope, nope.”

“No?” Lauren asks with a grin on her face.

“No, I’m sorry, you’re wrong. No matter how cute you are, you’re still wrong about that. Shrek 1 and HSM 1 are and always will be better.”

“Well,” Lauren begins. “I guess we have to agree to disagree because the sequels are way better. Sorry not sorry or something like that.”

“I just– you– you just–”

Lauren laughs at Camila’s grumbling. “You okay there, Camz?”

She can only hear the girl’s breathing for a few seconds. “I’m going to need some time to process this.”

“Take all the time you need.”

“I may need a lot of time.”

“That’s fine.”

“Possibly an infinite amount.”

“If you say so.”

“Probably forever.”

“You do you, Camz.”

They both go silent so Lauren settles underneath her blankets to get more comfortable, pressing the phone up against her ear.

“I just… how could you think that the sequels are better?!”

~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... at least i updated before the three month mark...?
> 
> i'm sorry, i'm not going to bore you guys with excuses and reasons for why this took so long. i'm still super busy but i knew i needed to get back into writing so that's kind of what this chapter is for. it's a little bit of a filler, a little bit on tori and lauren's friendship, and a little bit for me to get back into it. sorry if it's all over the place, the beginning part was written back in february and i'm really really out of practice right now.
> 
> but yeah. shrek 2 and hsm 2 are and always will be better fight me on that
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning for a little bit of violence
> 
> check me out on wattpad
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

**_What do you call a seagull that flies over the bay?_ **

Lauren furrows her brows at the note, looking up to smile confusedly at Camila who gestures towards the paper.

**_I don't know, what?_**  Lauren writes back.

Camila snickers to herself as she hands the note back after jotting down her answer which has Lauren staring at her funnily.

‘Read it,’ Camila mouths, nodding her head towards the paper once more.

**_A bagel_.**

Drawn next to the answer is a very poor rendition of a seagull with a bagel for a body. The ridiculousness of the joke and the fact that Camila is genuinely proud of it makes Lauren break out into giggles, unable to contain her reaction. She catches a quick glimpse of Camila’s broad grin, clearly proud that she made Lauren laugh. 

“Have I ever mentioned that you’re a dork?” Lauren says out loud because they’re sitting next to each other in class and there’s really no need to pass a note or whisper right now since the teacher hasn’t arrived yet.

Camila shrugs. “Maybe once or twice.”

“I feel like I need to constantly remind you.”

“Hey, I’m only a dork for you.”

Pausing for a moment, Lauren pretends to think it over. “That’s fine with me. Plus, we wouldn't want everyone knowing that big bad Camila is actually just a softy, right? It would ruin your reputation.”

“Excuse you. I'm not a softy. I'm very tough and scary.”

Lauren stares at Camila's defiant stance, her arms crossed over her chest and an adorable pout on her face.

“Right.” Reaching forward, Lauren pats her palm on the top of Camila's head. “What a sof- I mean badass.”

Camila can't hold her frown too long at the sight of Lauren's cheeky expression, her tongue trapped between both sets of her teeth. The girl cracks a grin, just causing Lauren's smile to widen.

“Damn it,” Camila sighs with a fond eye roll. “I guess I can only be a softy for you.”

“To be honest, I think I'm more than okay with that.”

“Really?” Camila asks seriously, eyes slightly widened as she stares at Lauren.

“I– yeah,” Lauren replies as she smiles softly at Camila. “Really.”

A slap to Lauren’s back snaps her out of the intense eye contact she was having with Camila as she jumps in her seat, banging her knee against the underside of her desk.

“What's up, lovebirds?!” Dinah greets, not at all quietly.

“Holy shit, Dinah, you scared Lauren,” Camila exclaims as she leans towards the girl. “Are you okay?”

Lauren waves Camila off as she rubs at her sore knee. “Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm fine.” The initial pain has already disappeared, and she didn't really hit it all that hard.

“Oh damn, sorry about that, Lauser,” Dinah apologizes as her and Tori take their seats in front of Lauren and Camila. “I guess you scare easily.”

Gesturing with her head towards the two girls, Lauren scrunches her brows together. “Since when did you two hang out?”

“Since I found out how much this girl–” Dinah explains, throwing an arm over Tori’s shoulders, “–and I have in common.”

“It's awesome. We already have a hair day planned for this Saturday,” Tori says with a grin.

“I mean, have you seen this girl’s hair? It's so luscious… I'm mad jealous.”

Tori turns towards Dinah with a scoff. “Please, your hair is to die for.”

Camila catches Lauren’s eyes, a weirded out expression on her face as she subtlety points at the two complimenting girls, making Lauren giggle quietly.

‘What even is happening?’ the girl mouths to her. Lauren just shrugs because honestly she has no clue when or how this happened. 

They tune out the two girls, instead spending the rest of the period trading notes in between the teacher’s droning. Lauren almost gets caught multiple times for laughing at Camila’s lame jokes during class, but she can’t find it in herself to care.

~~

Lauren is alone and preoccupied at her locker, changing some books out, when she feels a tap on her shoulder. She turns around and comes face to face with a boy, most likely a senior too, with perfectly messed up brown hair and a black ring through the right side of his bottom lip.

“Hey… you’re Lauren, right?”

“Um, y– yeah,” she stutters, unsure who this boy is or why he’s speaking to her.

He offers a crooked but warm and charming grin at her nervousness which actually comforts her a little. “I’m Keaton. We don’t share any classes together but I’ve seen you around the school and I wanted to say that I think you’re really pretty.”

“You… oh– I…”

“I just wanted to tell you that. I’ll let you go since you probably need to get to your next class but maybe I’ll see you afterwards? My locker is right across from yours,” Keaton explains, pointing behind him at the row of lockers.

Lauren briefly wonders how she never noticed him before but brushes that thought away. “Yeah, I uh– maybe, yeah,” she awkwardly replies, gripping the strap of her backpack tighter.

“Alright,” Keaton says with his boyish smile, seemingly unfazed by her shyness. “I’ll see you around, Lauren.”

Watching as he walks off presumably in the direction of his next class, Lauren attempts to make sense of their brief encounter, slightly thrown off by the randomness of it and the fact that she got complimented (she honestly doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to it).

Lauren shuts her locker door, mindlessly heading towards her next class as she ponders over the strange things that have happened to her so far this year.

The biggest one was definitely finding out that Camila Cabello has feelings for her, with Zayn Malik liking her a close second. But all of a sudden, Lauren has all these friends who seem to genuinely care about her as well as people suddenly noticing her and acknowledging her (and not just in a bad, bullying kind of way).

It’s definitely been an unusual year so far. 

~~

It’s possibly the greatest coincidence ever that Camila and Lauren share the same free period. They had finally swapped schedules the week that Camila and her friends started sitting with Lauren at lunch, and were pleased to discover that they had quite a few classes together, including gym (which Lauren is now really thankful for; she’s never been a very athletic person, even though she’s always wanted to play softball). They always spend it together, either doing homework in the library, taking a walk outside if it’s a nice day, or finding an empty classroom to hang out in.

Today, they’re occupying one of the covered courtyard tables because there’s a pleasant breeze passing through that makes the warm weather bearable. It’s only October which means that Miami is still slightly too hot to be comfortable outside under the sun with no wind.

They’ve got their homework laid out on the table although only one of the girls is actually doing it, the other attempting to spin her pen on her fingers, mostly just dropping it.

“Camz, you haven’t even touched your homework yet.”

Camila pouts, not looking up from her task. “Well I mean, it is homework, so…”

“Yeah, but I know you care about your grades and you’re always really good with your studies,” Lauren argues. “Are you just not feeling it today?”

Clicking the pen closed and setting it down, Camila sighs as she props her head up on her hand, her cheek squishing comically against her closed fist. “Not really. I’d rather talk or something.”

“We can do that,” Lauren says as she shuts her textbook. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Nothing in particular. It’s just, talking to you is way more fun than homework.”

Lauren grins softly as she tucks some of her loose hair behind her ear. “That’s sweet. But okay, fine. How about… you tell me another one of your jokes? At least I won’t run the risk of getting detention if I laugh out here.”

“Alright,” Camila agrees with a smile. “Let me think… okay, how did the hipster burn his tongue?”

“How, Camz?”

“He drank his coffee before it was cool.” Camila delivers her joke so proudly, hands frozen in a finger guns position as she waits for Lauren to react.

Lauren knows the joke is dumb, probably one of Camila’s worst today, but she giggles anyways because she finds Camila adorable and she can’t  _not_  laugh at her jokes.

“Damn, maybe I should get a job as a comedian. I’d make millions.”

“Uh,” Lauren chuckles out. “Not to be rude but… I don’t think you’d be very successful.”

She expects Camila to argue, but surprisingly the girl agrees lightheartedly. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m pretty sure you’re the only person besides my sister who genuinely laughs at my jokes.”

Lauren goes silent for a moment. “I’d really like to meet your sister one day,” she voices quietly.

“Yeah?” Camila asks, smiling widely. “That would honestly be… she’d love you. My parents would love you – I just know it; you’re way too likeable – and I’d love for you to meet my family. I guarantee that by the end of the day the rest of the Cabello family would be just as smitten with you as I am,” the girl admits with no shame whatsoever.

“You really think they’d like me?”

“They’d love you. It, uh… it wouldn’t be hard.”

Lauren furrows her brows. “What wouldn’t be hard?”

“To lo– you know, to… I mean… like, to um, f– fall in love with you,” Camila finishes nervously.

Both girls go silent, unsure of what to say. The silence between them is not awkward, but it is loaded, as if more wants to be said or discussed but neither knows how to initiate it.

“Um,” Lauren begins as she clears her throat. ”I’d really love for you to meet my family too. My siblings are a little bit older than your sister but they’d still like you. Plus, you know, I could show off my really cool friend so they don’t think their big sis’ is a weirdo,” Lauren jokes.

“Please, with my sense of humor, we both know that you’re the cooler one here.”

“Well… if you say so…”

“Hey!” Camila exclaims adamantly. “You’re not supposed to agree.”

Lauren can’t really argue with Camila’s pout so she has no choice but to relent. “Fine fine, we’re both equally cool.”

“Agreed.”

It’s silent again for a moment before Camila breaks it.

“What would your parents think of me, though?”

“I mean, I’m sure that after they’d meet you they’d b–”

“No, I mean…” Camila interrupts. “I don’t exactly look like the kind of person you’d want to bring home to meet the parents.” Realizing how she phrased that, Camila flushes slightly and glances away for a moment. “I mean like, what if they’re worried that I’m not good association or something?”

Lauren looks more confused by the second. “Why would they think that? I’m sure it’d be fine.”

“Lo, come on. I wouldn’t be surprised if they heard rumors or not-so-false rumors about me. And even if they haven’t… I don’t exactly look very, you know… family friendly.”

“Hold on,” Lauren says, putting one hand up to halt Camila. “Are you talking about your tattoos and your reputation?”

Camila shrugs and nods as if to say ‘ _duh_ ’, not making eye contact with Lauren.

“Camz, if there’s one thing you should know about the Jauregui’s, it’s that we never judge a book by its cover. My parents are not ignorant; they’re not going to let other people’s personal opinions affect their views. And if you’re worried about what they’ll think regarding your personal appearance, you don’t need to be. They’re going to introduce themselves to you and wait to see what kind of impression you make on them – just like everybody else. They save their personal opinions for  _after_  they’ve gotten to know you.”

“I–” Camila stutters, slightly speechless. “I should have known that only the nicest people would have raised someone as sweet and caring like you.”

“Camz…”

“It’s true. If you’re any indication to what your family is like, then I’m not worried.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Lauren smiles. “I can’t wait to meet your family.”

Camila returns it. “And I can’t wait to meet yours.”

~~

Lauren is too busy staring down at her feet to look where she’s going and nearly ends up walking into an open locker door until someone pulls her away at the last second.

“Whoa there, better watch where you’re going,” she hears chuckled out right her left and looks up to see Keaton smiling down at her, his hand on her shoulder from where he had steered her away.

“I’m sure that the last thing you want to do is to hurt your nose again,” he says, gesturing towards the fading bruises around her nose.

“Oh, uh, thanks. I wasn’t paying attention,” Lauren mumbles because she’s still really shy around this practical stranger.

Keaton shrugs. “Good thing I was paying attention, huh?”

“Yeah. This bruise is… I wish it would go away already.”

“That really sucks,” Keaton replies as he falls in step next to Lauren on her way to her locker. “But it looks like it’s well on its way to healing completely.”

Lauren nods, nudging her glasses up her nose. “At least it doesn’t really hurt anymore.”

“That’s a relief. Oh, here we are,” he comments as they arrive at their respective lockers. Lauren can’t believe that for a month and a half he’s had the locker right behind hers and she’s never once noticed. _Has she always been that oblivious...?_

Switching her books out so that she has a little extra time during lunch, Lauren shuts her locker and begins to head to the cafeteria, assuming her…  _conversation_  with Keaton is done.

“Hey, wait up!”

She stops walking because Lauren might be a little bit of a pushover and she can’t really say no to people (it’s as much a blessing as it is a curse).

“So,” Keaton begins as he catches up and they start walking. “What do you like to do for fun? Got any hobbies? Or… secret talents? Stuff like that. I want to get to know you better.”

Lauren fiddles with her backpack strap because she doesn’t really want to keep speaking with him but she doesn’t know how to shut him down.

“Look, Keaton… you’re uh, you’re really nice and all. It’s just, I’m not really… I don’t want… um–”

“Wait, hold on a moment.” Keaton reaches out for Lauren’s arm, gently pulling her to the side right before they enter the cafeteria. “I… look, I know this is probably kind of sudden for you. Maybe I’ve been coming on too strong. But, I do think that you’re really pretty and you seem like a nice, genuine person that I’d really like to get to know better. Even if we could just become friends, I’d be more than happy with that.

A little stunned into silence, Lauren blinks her wide eyes as she tries to process his words. “Y– you want to be friends? Why?”

Keaton shrugs, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I uh, I know people picked on you before but I’ve seen from afar how cool a person you seem so… I don’t know, I guess I just wanted to find out for myself. It uh, it helps that you’re easy on the eyes,” he chuckles out awkwardly.

“I… uh… um–”

“You don’t have to answer now. I’ll find you at your locker when school is over and you can let me know then.” He offers an easy smile and squeezes her arm softly one last time before walking away, heading through the cafeteria doors.

Lauren is still a little stunned from everything that’s happened with her and Keaton today and she doesn’t really know how to take it. She enters the cafeteria lost in her thoughts, grabbing her lunch before sitting at their usual table. Camila notices that she’s is kind of unusually quiet but Lauren blames tiredness on her weird mood and the girl doesn’t question her again.

~~

The rest of the school day passes with no run ins with Keaton; not even a sighting of him down the hall or something. She doesn’t know how she feels about that, because he seemed like a kind, genuine person to her. She had seen a lot of Camila though since they share quite a few classes together. But because they didn’t have the same last class of the day, they had promised to meet up at Lauren’s locker when school was finished.

Lauren makes her way over to it, happy that school is over and she can finally go home. Her and Camila are planning to spend the rest of the day together at Camila’s house since her parents went with Sofi to go visit some relatives, a trip that Camila couldn’t make due to school. Of course, Lauren had wished that her family was home so that she could finally meet them, but they had upcoming plans for that since somehow they’ve both managed to avoid meeting each other’s families.

Double checking that she has all her homework (and then later checking to make sure that Camila has hers too), Lauren zips her bag closed and shuts her locker. She spins around to find Keaton at his locker behind her, switching some books out, and figures now is as good a time as any to approach him.

“Hey,” Lauren greets, taking the few steps across the hallway.

“Oh, uh, hi?” Keaton says, and while his reaction confuses Lauren slightly, she carries on with her objective.

“So, um, I thought about what you said earlier and, if you’re still up for it, I wouldn’t mind hanging out and getting to know each other.”

Turning around from rummaging through her locker, Keaton puts on a half confused, half amused face. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he says way louder than necessary, attracting the attention of a few nearby students.

Lauren furrows her brows because she has no idea what’s going on right now. “Uh, remember our conversation from earlier?”

“What are you talking about, loser?” he repeats. “Why would I ever want to be friends with you?”

“Wait, what’s going on? Is this some sort of joke?”

Keaton scoffs, taking a step closer to Lauren which has her feeling uncomfortable. Everyone gathered in the hallway is now watching the exchange between the two curiously. “The only joke here is you. I don’t know how you could think anyone would ever want to be friends with someone like you.” He takes a second step. “It’s hilarious that you think I’d ever actually be friends with you.” Another step. “You’re a fucking freak. Some people were definitely right about that.”

Lauren realizes what’s happening, coming to the conclusion that Keaton is playing a cruel prank on her to embarrass her in front of everyone watching. He takes on final step as she moves backwards too, feeling her back come into contact with her closed locker. Keaton is staring down at her with such an unapologetic expression, and that coupled with how mortified she feels causes the tears to gather in her eyes. She attempts to fight letting them fall, however, because she’s done letting people think that her angry or frustrated crying is instead their vicious words or actions getting to her.

Keaton takes one more menacing step into her space, and the fact that Lauren has nowhere left to go makes her panic slightly. The tears finally slide down her cheeks but she doesn’t reach up to wipe them away because she’s afraid to even move. She hears a couple of students near them let out a laugh at the situation unfolding in front of them.

“You’re pathetic,” Keaton spits out. “Don’t ever speak to me again.”

Lauren swears that Keaton turned around to walk away but the next thing she knows, he’s sprawled out on the ground, his right hand cupping his eye as he groans in pain. Looking over, Lauren sees a fuming Camila towering over him (even with her small frame), her hand clenched in a fist as she breathes hard through her nose.

“What the f–” Keaton starts to get out but never finishes because Camila kicks him straight in the gut, effectively cutting off his words.

The girl crouches down next to a pained Keaton, and Lauren is just close enough to hear her quiet but threatening words.

“I don’t know who you are or where you got the idea that you could so much as breathe a nasty word in Lauren’s direction, but I’m telling you right now that you are never going to do it again. You’re never going to touch her, you’re never going to speak to her, you’re never going to look at her, you’re never going to so much as  _think_  about her. Ever. Again. You’re a piece of shit compared to Lauren. She’s better than you can ever dream about being, and if I catch you so much as walking down the same hallway as her, you’ll be wishing you had switched schools when you had the chance.”

Lauren simultaneously feels chills and warmth run through her body at Camila’s words, because on the one hand, the girl is defending her so strongly, but on the other...  _she's_   _fucking_   _intimidating_.

“Do you understand me?” Camila asks way too calmly.

“It– it wasn’t even my idea!” Keaton exclaims as he clutches his most likely blackening eye with one hand. “Fucking Brad and Austin put me up to it, promised me fifty bucks if I humiliated Lauren for them. This shit wasn’t even worth it,” he says angrily.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah… fuck! This shit hurts!”

Camila ignores his cry of pain, straightening up as she turns to the students who are dead silent from the commotion that they had just witnessed (Lauren briefly wonders how no teachers have noticed what’s been going on).

“Apparently, it wasn’t clear enough to everyone how things are going to go this year, so I’ll break it down for you dumbasses. No one, and I mean  _no one_ , is going to harm Lauren in  _any_  way, physically, emotionally, mentally, verbally. If I catch anyone breaking these very simple guidelines, what I did to Keaton over here is going to feel like a hangnail compared to what I will do to you. The same goes for anyone who runs off to tattle to a teacher. Am I understood?”

There’s collective nods through the still silent crowd as they all take in Camila’s very serious words.

“Good,” she says as she cracks the knuckles she didn’t punch Keaton with. “Now spread the word.”

The crowd scurries off in fear, the students who have to get past Camila moving as fast as possible. Keaton struggles to stand up, hobbling off away from Camila as swiftly as he can.

“Come on,” Camila says, leading Lauren away from the hallway to an empty girl’s bathroom, locking the door behind them. As soon as Lauren turns around to face her, Camila pulls her in for a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around Lauren as her tears fall.

“You’re okay,” Camila mumbles comfortingly. “You’re okay.”

They stand there in their embrace for a few minutes until Lauren’s tears stop falling and her sniffles have subsided. The two girls pull apart but Camila doesn’t let go of Lauren, instead reaching up to wipe her wet cheeks gently.

“As– as much as I hate v– violence… thank you for doing that,” Lauren shakily gets out, swallowing down the lump in her throat from crying.

Camila smiles warmly at her. “You know that I would do  _anything_  for you,” she says, and Lauren doesn’t miss the extra emphasis on  _anything_. “I am really sorry that I resorted to violence, but… it just got me so  _mad_  that he thought he could treat you like that. Or, that the people around you thought it was okay and even laughed! I don’t get how people can’t see how fucking great you are. Because you’re amazing, Lauren.”

Pushing her glasses up her nose, Lauren feels the warmth in her stomach multiply at Camila’s sincere words. “Well, apparently you think I’m pretty great, so… that’s enough for me.”

The look Camila is giving her is almost overwhelming, something between adoration and tenderness.

“You do know that we’re going to have to do something about Brad and Austin, right?” Camila asks with a sigh.

“I figured,” Lauren replies. “But maybe without violence this time. I don’t want you getting into trouble or hurting yourself, please.”

Camila glances down at her bruised and slightly bloodied knuckles from punching Keaton, clenching and unclenching them. “That’s probably a good idea.”

“But, we’ll worry about that later. For now,” Lauren says as she interlocks her fingers with Camila’s non-busted ones, leading the girl towards the bathroom door. “Let’s get you home so that I can clean that hand up for you.”

“It’s not that bad, Lau–”

“No, I want to,” Lauren interrupts. “You take care of me, so I want to take care of you too.”

~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't proofread this because i'm exhausted so sorry about any mistakes.
> 
> also, i never really thank you guys for taking the time to read my stories so i just want to do that real quick. it's amazing that people are interested in what i have to write. thank you all for being so awesome.
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> people mentioned not really knowing the full extent of camila's 'reputation' so that is explained here with some backstory that i most definitely did not make up as i was writing and also filler because half of my chapters are fillers
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

~~

It’s been a couple of days since the Keaton incident and apparently Camila’s threats are taken seriously because no one has dared to even bother Lauren. Brad and Austin have been keeping a low profile (finally they do something smart), most likely trying to avoid Camila’s eventual wrath.

Lauren knows they have to confront the boys eventually, but she prays that there won’t be any violence needed when they do so. She wants to get this source of stress out of the way so that she can tackle the other issues she has. Like dealing with Zayn’s feelings.

While Lauren was fairly oblivious before, now that she’s aware of everyone’s feelings, she understands the situation. She knows that her and Camila have way more chemistry and after much thought, she can see herself feeling more for Camila than for Zayn. Plus, it’s clear that the girl absolutely adores her and looks at her like she hung the stars in the sky.

She figures that her first order of business should be to let Zayn down (although she has an inkling of a feeling that the boy already knows she’s not going to pursue anything further with him).

Of course, Lauren is not saying that she’s ready to jump into a relationship with Camila. She’s not even 100% sure what exactly she feels for the girl. What Lauren does know is that they have mutual appreciation for each other and whether that translates into something more than friends or stays where it is, she’s not sure. 

She IS sure that she can’t keep leading someone on that she doesn’t think she’ll have anything more than a physical attraction towards. So Lauren decides that after school today, she’s going to sit Zayn down and clear things up with him. He deserves that much, because at the end of the day he’s still a really great friend to Lauren.

Walking into the bustling cafeteria, Lauren makes her way towards their usual table, noticing that all of the girls are seated already, the two boys in line for their lunch.

“Hey guys,” Lauren says, taking her customary seat next to Camila. She pulls her lunch out while they all greet her before resuming their previous conversations.

Camila turns away from the girls talking about a TV show to speak privately with Lauren. “Has everything been okay since… you know,” she asks gently.

“Yeah,” Lauren smiles softly at her. “Whatever you said worked because people seem terrified to even breathe on me. Which… I don’t know how I feel about that. I’m about as intimidating as a puppy,” she remarks distractedly as she sets her food out in front of her.

Camila laughs fondly, her grin too big for her face. “Oh my, god, you’re seriously too cute.”

“What?” Lauren questions a little indignantly with slightly red cheeks. “I’m not a scary person.”

“Not to most people, perhaps. But I was so anxious to talk to you. So yeah, you intimidated me.”

“Aw,” Lauren coos. “Was the big bad Camzi afraid of little ol’ Lolo?” She reaches out and pinches Camila’s cheeks who half-heartedly swats them away.

“Shut up,” Camila grumbles but Lauren can see the faint blush painting her cheeks.

Giggling at the girl’s reaction, Lauren turns to her sandwich and begins unwrapping it,

“Don’t worry about the whole ‘people being scared of you’ thing. It’ll pass.”

Lauren glances up, her eyebrows raised as if to ask ‘ _are_   _you sure_ ' since her mouth is full and she can’t verbally reply.

“Most of the people who go here have no backbone, so it’s pretty easy to sway them. They’ll eventually stop acting like they’re walking on eggshells around you but they won’t forget what I warned them.”

Pondering for a moment, Lauren nods as she swallows her bite. “That makes sense. I believe you.” She’s about to take another bite when she pauses. “Is that why you were able to cement yourself as… whatever you cemented yourself as?”

Camila takes a sip of her water. “You mean with my reputation and stuff?”

“Mhm,” Lauren confirms, her cheeks hilariously huge as she chews her sandwich.

“Um,” Camila begins, stifling a laugh that has Lauren blushing again. “Yeah it was fairly easy. I won a few scuffles with other students and then I was pretty much known at that point.”

“Known as what?”

“I guess as like… the girl that nobody messed with,” she begins, swallowing thickly. “I took a lot of self-defense classes when I was younger because my dad is slightly paranoid – and I think secretly wanted a son too – so I know how to win a fight. When I made myself known as someone who could throw and take a punch, people were suddenly a lot more hesitant to start anything with me, or the people I’m close to.” Camila doesn’t meet Lauren’s eyes through her explanation, finding her water bottle much more interesting.

Lauren stops eating, staring at Camila with her captivating green gaze. “Are you sure that’s it?” she asks, because Lauren knows the girl well enough at this point to suspect when she’s a little off.

“I…” and Lauren can tell that Camila is about to deny anything else but she makes eye contact with Lauren who is putting on the most understanding expression that she can muster. “No, that’s not the only reason why,” Camila finally admits, and Lauren smiles to herself because she’s proud that she can read her new friends that well.

“I was bullied a  _lot_  in middle school and while my parents tried their hardest to help me, there wasn’t much they could do besides pulling me out of school altogether. The teachers never helped and kids thought that I was an easy target and since I didn’t have many friends, they could gang up on me. I had a crooked smile and weird hair and a scrawny body and I was shy. Someone that could be messed with.”

“So your reputation is also a sort of defense mechanism,” Lauren concludes for Camila.

“Exactly. If people are scared of me, they won’t mess with me like they used to.”

“Is that also what the tattoos are for?”

Camila tilts her head to the side as she answers, gazing down at her arms. “Sort of? It took a little while for the whole ‘reputation’ thing to kick in when high school started, so in the meantime I started hanging out with… well… not the best crowd. They were older kids, juniors and seniors, who tended to get into trouble and I was going through a rough time so I lashed out. Started letting them influence me. I was okay with it though because finally, people were starting to take me seriously.”

“Wow, Camz, I had no idea,” Lauren mumbles with wide eyes, pushing her glasses up her nose.

“I think the craziest part of it all was that my parents stuck by my side through it all. Even when I was turning into that dreaded, rebellious, daughter they still tried their hardest to get me through it and never gave up on me. I feel so bad for putting them through what I did and I know that I’ll probably owe them forever.”

Lauren smiles gently. “It’s so great that they’re so supportive of you.”

“Yeah,” Camila agrees. “They were a part of why I stopped hanging out with those kids. I felt too guilty because of what I was doing to them, and because I really love them. And then I started getting to know Dinah and Normani and Zayn and all my good friends and they definitely pulled me out of my rut the rest of the way.”

“So you had this really great support system that helped you when you needed it most.”

Camila nods. “Definitely. I mean, I’m still trying to kick a few of my bad habits,” she says with a slightly guilty grin. Lauren assumes she’s referring to her temper and getting into unnecessary physical altercations.

“But, I’ve come a long way. And you’re definitely helping.”

Furrowing her brows, Lauren crumples her empty sandwich wrap into a ball. “How? I haven’t done anything specific to help. I didn’t even really know about it until just now.”

“‘Cause, Lo. You’re a really important part of my life, and the thought of disappointing you, hurting you, letting you down… it helps me refrain from doing anything that would actually do that to you. You motivate me to be a better person.”

“I– but– how? Really?” Lauren asks disbelievingly.

“I know that I’ve had a couple of trip ups, but it’s a big improvement from how I used to be. And a lot of that is because of you. Even before we started talking, seeing your face across the hall helped me.”

~~

Camila knows that she’s here somewhere. She fucking knows and she’s not going to get away with it.

She stalks through the halls with clenched fists, and even though she’s still a junior, the seniors move out of the way for her, unwilling to cross paths with an angry Camila. Fortunately for them, Camila’s only got her wrath set on one specific person.

Spotting her perfectly made-up dark hair, Camila marches the rest of the way, grabbing the girl by one shoulder and whipping her around to face her.

“Kylie,” Camila  _growls_  out. “You think you can just say that shit about someone and get away with it? About one of my friends, no less.”

The girl fucking  _laughs_ , apparently finding Camila’s rage amusing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cabello,” although Kylie pronounces it  _Ca–bell–o_  which just fuels Camila’s anger further.

“You fucking outed Shawn on fucking twitter! That is a personal matter and he wasn’t ready to come out!”

Kylie just laughs again. “I only said he’s bi. It’s not even that bad.”

That doesn’t help the situation at all. Even though Camila is gay, she thinks that bisexual erasure is ignorant and way too prevalent in society today. “How the fuck is it not that bad?!”

“Oh, he’ll get over it,” Kylie brushes off, turning back to her wide-eyed friends.

Usually, for something social related, Camila would take the time to attempt to educate and explain to the person the proper views on a certain matter. But she can tell that Kylie would never sway in her opinion and right now, all Camila can think about is physically teaching the girl a lesson.

Gripping Kylie’s shoulder once more, Camila spins the girl again, this time much more aggressively. She doesn’t let go though and instead forcefully shoves the girl into the lockers behind her. The loud clang echoes through the bustling hallway, and if people hadn’t noticed the commotion beforehand, they definitely see it now.

“I know that you’re too thick-headed to ever understand the right viewpoint. Which is unfortunate for you, because that means I only have one way to  _educate_  you.”

At this point, Kylie has realized how serious Camila is and that the girl is at a real risk of getting her ass beat. Her breathing quickens as she flattens herself against the metal behind her, watching fearfully as Camila steps into her personal space.

Raising her right fist, Camila holds it up next to herself threateningly, winding her arm back for a solid punch. She glances around briefly at the crowd that’s gathered, Kylie’s friends shell-shocked and too frightened to help her.

Just as Camila is about to turn back to Kylie and launch her fist forward, she catches a glimpse of wide green eyes, huddled at the edge of the crowd.

Lauren is standing behind Kylie’s friends, her books clutched to her chest as she watches in alarm. She’s staring at Camila’s raised fist before her eyes dart to a flinching Kylie and then back at Camila’s face briefly.

The girl looks extremely worried as she bites her bottom lip, almost on the verge of dashing out of there and away from the unfolding drama. Camila gulps nervously, because while she doesn’t talk to Lauren, the last thing she wants is for the girl to see her hitting someone and thinking that she’s a monster (Lauren doesn’t have to know about all those fights behind the school).

Camila knows that she can’t hit Kylie with Lauren watching.

Turning back towards the girl, Camila steels her features back into a threatening expression. The hand that was previously posed in a fist instead moves forward to grasp at Kylie’s shirt, bunching it up at the collar.

“Don’t think for a moment that I won’t come back here and whoop your fake ass if you ever try anything like that again.”

With that, Camila roughly releases Kylie, the girl stumbling against the lockers. Camila spins around and begins marching towards the school exit, but as she passes by Lauren, she swears that she sees a relieved expression on the girl’s face.

Camila will have to do damage control another time to assert her reputation but she doesn’t regret holding back in front of Lauren. She feels like she would have let her down, and even though they don’t really know each other, Camila knows for sure that she never wants to let Lauren down.

~~

“Oh wow. I remember that day,” Lauren reminisces.

“It was literally because I saw you that I didn’t hit Kylie.”

“I had no idea.”

“It’s like I said: you make me want to be a better person. I just wanted you to know that.”

Lauren goes silent, staring thoughtfully down at the lunch table. “Well, I just wanted  _you_  to know I think your smile is adorable.”

“Huh?” Camila asks, unsure to what Lauren is referring to.

“You said before that kids made fun of your smile. I… I really like your smile. It makes me feel happy whenever I see it, and honestly I think you look most beautiful when you’re genuinely happy.”

Camila’s cheeks flush –  _twice in one sitting_ , Lauren thinks to herself – and she bears that pure, winning smile that Lauren has come to love. The girl turns to finish her lunch, the grin still sitting proudly on her face.

Lauren looks up, seeing that the boys had joined them at the table but she hadn’t even noticed. She glances around to find that Ariana is trying to get her attention.

“Hey, Lauren, how would you feel about joining us for a girl’s night at my house today?”

“Oh?” Lauren questions. “Who’s going?”

“Tori, Ally, DJ, Mani… Mila, you coming too?”

Glancing over, Lauren sees Camila give Ariana a confirming nod of her head, taking another bite of her sandwich.

“So what do you say? I can finally do your makeup that I’ve been dying to do for weeks.”

Ariana gives her a hopeful expression and Lauren gazes around at her other friends, all looking back at her with patient, excited faces. Camila gives her a nudge, nodding her head eagerly with wide eyes.

“Sure,” Lauren answers easily with a grin. “Sounds like fun.”

They work out the details of when to show up and what to bring over lunch. Lauren’s finished her food so she just observes her friends, her eyes landing on Zayn who’s in a conversation with Shawn, laughing at whatever they’re discussing. She realizes that now might be a good time to talk to him if she can get him away from their friends without drawing attention.

Deciding on the subtle route, Lauren takes out her phone, unlocking it and opening up her conversation with him.

**Lauren: Hey, do you think you’d be able to sneak away for a few minutes? I wanted to talk to you about something**

She watches as he glances over when his phone buzzes and lights up, then peers up at her when he sees her name flash across his screen. Still keeping most of his attention on Shawn, Zayn opens up the message she sent him. Waiting until there’s a lull in the conversation, he quickly taps out a reply.

**Zayn: yeah, I can do that. meet me by the trophy case?**

**Lauren: Sure. I’ll leave first**

Standing up and drawing the attention of a few of her friends, Lauren gathers her leftover lunch supplies and climbs over the bench. “I have to go do something real quick before class starts. I’ll catch you guys later.”

Camila glances up confusedly at Lauren, dusting the bread crumbs off of her fingers. “Do you need any help?”

“I’ll be okay, thanks Camz,” Lauren says gratefully, smiling down at the girl. “I’ll see you in class?”

“Yeah, of course,” Camila agrees, returning the grin.

Excusing herself, Lauren makes her way towards the trophy case, waiting around in the mostly empty hallway for Zayn to appear. She’s preoccupied with admiring the different awards and championships that their school has won when he approaches her, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

“Hey. Sorry I took so long. I couldn’t come up with a good excuse.”

“No problem,” Lauren says reassuringly.

Zayn smiles back. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Well,” Lauren begins, figuring she shouldn’t bother beating around the bush and instead just jump right into it. “You and I, basically.”

To Lauren’s surprise, Zayn nods, not looking at all surprised. “I figured, honestly. I know how much you and Camila care about each other. How she looks at you. And I don’t really know how you feel about her but it looks like you’re fond of her too.”

Lauren had a whole speech prepared for Zayn, but at the moment she’s too shocked to remember any of it. “I’m… I’m so sor–”

“No no no, I don’t want you apologizing,” Zayn says sincerely. He removes his hands from his pockets and grasps both of Lauren’s. “Mine is only a crush. It’ll pass. Plus, I really like being friends with you and I wouldn’t want to lose that. Mila, on the other hand... I’m not going to say how strongly I think she feels, but I will say this: I’ve known her for about three years now. We’ve been through a lot together, and she’s one of my best friends. I’ve seen her react with all sorts of people in all sorts of situations, and I can say without a doubt that she only has eyes for you. You’re such an important part of her world, even if your friendship is relatively new.”

Blinking her wide eyes slowly at Zayn, Lauren attempts to absorb his words. She had been mentally preparing herself for this moment all day, and here Zayn ended up doing all the talking for her.

“Wow,” is all Lauren can muster out.

Zayn chuckles softly. “I know. But hey, it feels really good to have sorted us out.”

“Yeah, it– it really has.”

To his surprise, Lauren moves in for a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck as he embraces her around her waist. She holds it for a few moments, trying to express how much she appreciates Zayn.

“You’re really awesome, you know that?”

Raising one eyebrow up at Lauren, Zayn tilts his head with an unamused expression on his face. “Took you this long to figure out, huh?”

“Oh, shut up,” Lauren laughs out, lightly slapping his arm. “You’re just like Camila.”

“Nah. The difference is that you want to kiss Camila.”

Lauren widens her eyes again, her cheeks heating up immediately at the mental images that flash through her mind. “N– no I don’t!” she stutters out embarrassed.

“Yeah you do. But don’t worry about it,” Zayn says with a smirk as he slings his arm around her shoulders and starts walking them to class. “I’ll help you out. Call me your official wingman!”

Because of the thought that Zayn had put in Lauren’s head, she can’t help blushing around Camila for the rest of the school day. He flashes her a smirk when he overhears her stuttering around the girl, but all she can think about is kissing Camila.

~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would like to inform you all via my representatives that i've written a new one shot recently called 'get like' and you should all head over to my profile and check it out thank you
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

Walking up to Ariana’s front door, Camila shifts her overnight bag to her other arm as she raises her hand to knock. She pauses when she hears familiar laughter on the other side and a smile breaks out onto her face when she recognizes it as Lauren’s genuine giggle.

She’s been looking forward to this ever since Lauren agreed to join because it means she’ll get to spend more time with the girl, and honestly, she’s never  _not_  wanted to be around Lauren (even during that unpleasant day at the carnival).

Realizing that she’s spent longer than an appropriate amount of time standing outside of Ariana’s house, Camila gives five quick but firm knocks on the door to ensure that the girls hear it (the Grande family always keep their front door locked so Camila can’t just walk in like she usually would with her other friends). She only has to wait a few moments before the lock turns and the door swings open, Ariana greeting her with a smile on the other side.

“Hey, Mila! Come on in, you’re the last to arrive.”

Sure enough, when Camila walks into the living room where the others are hanging out, she already spots the rest of the girls. Tori and Ally are sitting quite close together on the loveseat, Normani has her legs stretched out in front of her as she leans against the front of the couch, and Lauren and Dinah are giggling with each other as Dinah lays her legs out across Lauren’s lap.

“Mila!” Dinah greets far too loudly for being indoors as she enters the room. “You made it!”

At the mention of Camila’s name, Lauren swiftly turns around to see her, smiling shyly but happily when she does. The rest of the girls offer her their own (calmer) greetings while Lauren gives Camila a cute wave.

“Come join us,” Ally calls over her shoulder as Ariana takes her seat next to Normani on the floor. “Another episode of Friends just started.”

Glancing around the living room, Camila looks for a place to sit. Seeing how Dinah is taking up most of the sofa, Camila makes her way there, nudging at the girl’s outstretched legs.

“Move your ass over,” Camila says playfully as she swats at Dinah’s feet.

Dinah jokingly glares at Camila. “No. Lauser here is a great footrest. I don’t want to move.”

“Well too bad,” Camila replies as she forcefully shoves Dinah’s legs off of Lauren’s lap and the couch, nearly causing her friend to fall on top of Normani and Ariana. “I want to sit next to Lauren.”

Claiming the empty seat, Camila plops down next to Lauren, smiling at the girl’s shy but happy expression.

“Hi,” Lauren greets quietly.

“Hi,” Camila returns.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

Camila stares at Lauren in surprise. “You are?”

“Yeah. I missed you.”

Camila feels her heart warm at Lauren’s words because the girl has been so much more open and affectionate with her lately, and it’s giving her hope that perhaps Lauren is starting to return her feelings.

“I missed you too, Lo.”

Grinning at Camila’s reply, Lauren leans into Camila’s side as the episode starts up, even though there’s plenty of room on Lauren’s other side. Camila just pulls her closer.

They’re on their second episode when Ariana orders the pizza, and the third episode is halfway through when the doorbell rings. Ariana disappears for a minute and walks back into the room carrying two large pizzas, one with pepperoni and the other without.

The appetizing scent of greasy, cheesy, goodness immediately fills the room and the six hungry girls clamber over each other to reach the food that Ariana barely has time to put down onto the coffee table. She barely escapes to grab some plates from the kitchen before the pizzas are surrounded, and in a few short minutes, everyone is quietly and happily munching away on their dinners as the TV continues playing. Lauren and Camila are still squished up against each other as they eat their pizza, Lauren not wanting her crusts and giving them to Camila who happily finishes them up for her.

All the girls spend another hour or so watching TV and lazing around the living room until 7:00 when Dinah whines that she’s bored and asks if they can do something else. They tidy up their dinner mess and decide to head up to Ariana’s room to give her family some peace.

Lauren and Camila are the last to enter her room and find that all the space on the bed is already taken by the other girls. Camila is just about to suggest that her and Lauren share Ariana’s beanbag when the girl shoots up from her spot on her bed.

“Oh my god, Lauren, you  _have_  to let me do your makeup. Please please please? I’ve wanted to do it ever since we first hung out,” Ariana begs.

Glancing over, Camila sees Lauren’s wide-eyed expression before the girl composes herself. “Um, yeah, sure. Why not?” she agrees with a smile and a shrug. “Could be fun, right?”

“Definitely,” Ariana says as she sits Lauren down in the chair at her vanity. “I mean, you’re already so gorgeous so I totally understand why you don’t wear any. But it’ll still be fun, I promise.”

Camila watches how Lauren considers it, probably also psyching herself up to be made up and fawned over, but she doesn’t seem as uncomfortable as she probably would have been a couple months ago.

Deciding to help out (and also be closer to Lauren), Camila moves to stand next to them but gets shoved out of the way by Dinah.

“Nuh uh, Mila. Ari and I got this. You can go sit over there and wait patiently while we doll your  _girlfriend_ –” Dinah whispers ‘girlfriend’ closer to Camila’s ear,” –up for you. And no peeking!”

Grumbling to herself, Camila marches over to the bed and plops herself down onto it. Lauren catches her eye in the mirror reflection and grins cheekily at her, obviously having caught some of the interaction between her and Dinah. Camila sticks her tongue out playfully back at Lauren and smiles when the girl returns it, until Dinah says quite loudly to “stop flirting with each other for two goddamn seconds so that we can do Lauser’s makeup.”

Even Camila feels her cheeks flush when everyone chuckles at Dinah’s comment so she lies back on the mattress and groans to no one in particular, already missing Lauren’s bright grin.

~~

Lauren’s been seated in front of the vanity for nearly twenty minutes while Camila has been occupying herself stalking people’s Instagrams with Normani and Ally (Tori went off to help out with Lauren after about five minutes). They’re in the middle of making fun of one of Brad’s posts when Ariana straightens up and places whatever she’s holding down onto the vanity.

“All done!” she calls out, grinning at everyone when they turn to look at her.

Camila’s the first to stand up, more than ready to be near Lauren again. Dinah nudges the girl to stand up and turn around, and when she does, all the others praise and compliment her. 

Now, it’s not that Camila has never seen Lauren wear any makeup before. There were a few times that she did wear some to school, but it seems like the girl just prefers not to bother. The thing is, Camila forgot just how much eyeliner makes Lauren’s already bright eyes pop even more. She gets a little lost in them and only snaps out of it when Lauren makes eye contact to gauge Camila’s reaction.

“Lo, you look so beautiful,” Camila practically breathes out and it’s a wonder that Lauren even heard her. Based on the girl’s smile though, she did catch what Camila said.

Before Camila has a chance to tell Lauren that she’s gorgeous no matter what (and yes, Camila does realize how cheesy that is), the girl gets surrounded by their friends who suddenly want to take a bunch of selfies for Snapchat. She gets dragged into the group and while Camila is not usually one for that, she can’t deny that being around her friends and seeing Lauren so happy makes it all worthwhile.

They do stupid poses and make funny faces at their phones, laughing and joking around and having a good time. Camila finds as many opportunities as she can to be close to Lauren, wrapping an arm around her or doing the same pose as her. She gets a pleasant surprise, however, when for one of the pictures, Lauren turns her head to plant a cute kiss on Camila’s cheek.

(Camila makes sure to get a copy of that one from Normani.)

They mess around for a little longer until only Dinah is the only one still taking selfies and decide to put a movie on. After arguing for about ten minutes, it’s finally agreed that they’ll watch the Harry Potter series and see how many movies in they can get.

As the other girls pick their seats, Ariana asks Camila if she can help her bring some snacks up from downstairs. They head to the kitchen and Ariana searches through the fridge to grab some sodas and juices.

“Hey, Mila? Can you look through the pantry and pick what snacks you think everyone would like?”

“Sure thing,” Camila responds as she pulls the pantry door open. She picks a few different flavors of chips, grabs a box of cookies, and is just about to close the door when she spots a can of cashews.

“Is it okay if I take this can of nuts?” Camila asks Ariana as she holds the snack up. “Lauren absolutely loves cashews so she’ll probably enjoy them.”

Camila doesn’t miss the suggestive smile on Ariana’s face. “Of course!” And she thinks that’s it until–

“It’s cute that you know your girl so well, Mila,” Ariana chuckles out.

Feeling a slight blush creep up her cheeks, Camila turns away so that Ariana can’t see it. “Shut up,” she mumbles good naturedly.

“I mean it though. She adores you, and you’re so good to her. You guys are honestly too cute.”

Camila glances back at Ariana. “Really?”

“Yeah, definitely. We’re all rooting for you two.”

“Thanks,” Camila says with a smile. “That means a lot.”

After gathering all the food, they lug it back up to Ariana’s bedroom, dumping it on her bed and letting everyone take their pick (Camila hides the cashews from the others).

She glances around for a seat and notices that Tori and Ally have taken the floor seats against the bed, the other three girls are splayed out on the mattress, and Lauren is half sinking into Ariana’s bean bag. Catching a few smirking faces, Camila has a feeling that the seating arrangement was deliberate.

More than okay with being tucked up against Lauren’s side for an entire movie, she walks towards the girl and smiles at her as she shifts slightly to the side, trying to make room for Camila.

It’s still going to be a tight fit regardless, so Camila just sits herself down, careful not to squash Lauren and still give the girl enough room to move her arm if she needs to. She waits until they’ve pressed play on the movie before pulling the can out.

“Here,” Camila whispers so that only Lauren can hear. “I grabbed these from the kitchen for you. I know how much you love them.”

Lauren smiles so widely that Camila feels her heart skip a beat. “You brought these up for me? You’re… thank you, Camz.”

“Anything for you, you know that.”

They turn their attention on the TV after that, secretly sharing the cashews between themselves and laughing quietly at each other when they both reach in for some more nuts at the same time.

Halfway through the movie, when they’ve eaten their share of snacks, Lauren starts to subconsciously (or maybe not) lean into Camila, their thighs and arms touching and their heads much closer together. Deciding to just go for it, Camila lifts the arm nearer to Lauren up and wrap it around the girl’s shoulders, making their positions much more comfortable in the process. She catches Lauren gazing up at her from the corner of her eye and smiles just enough for the girl to see it. Her eyes flit down briefly to see Lauren blushing but instead of leaning away, she just cuddles herself more into Camila’s side.

Camila feels her heart skip many more beats this time and can’t really focus on the rest of the movie.

~~

They make it through another two movies before everyone has either fallen asleep or lost interest. She can faintly hear Ally snoring as the girl’s head keeps lolling around until Tori finally pulls her head against her shoulder. Ariana’s been in and out of consciousness since the third movie started only because Normani and Dinah’s giggling keeps waking her up.

A little ways into the third movie, Lauren, in her half asleep state, had laid her upper body across Camila’s lap and fallen asleep almost immediately. Camila for her part could hardly pay attention to whatever was happening onscreen because she couldn’t get over how cute Lauren looked. For the entire movie, she had been comfortingly running her fingers through Lauren’s silky hair to sooth the girl but also because her hair was extremely soft.

Finally, the credits roll and Camila can see Ariana stretch and yawn out of the corner of her eye. Glancing around, she notices how everyone is either asleep or distracted so she reaches for the remote and shuts the TV off.

“What do you say we call it a night?” Ariana asks the room as she stands up and stretches once more.

Camila looks down at Lauren’s curled up frame, seeing and hearing the girl’s soft breathing. “Yeah, I think Lauren’s done for the night.”

“Ally’s out cold,” Tori chimes in.

Ariana nods. “Alright. Everyone knows their sleeping arrangements, right?”

Most of the girls nod except for the sleeping ones and Camila. “Um, no actually I don’t.”

“Oh. No worries, Mila. You’ll be in the guest room with Lauren.”

Camila’s glad that Lauren is asleep and didn’t see the joking suggestive grin Ariana gave her as she answered. She also knows that the girl would have blushed bright red at that.

“Right. Okay, let me just–”

Camila is just about to stand up when she notices the makeup still all over Lauren’s face. “Hey, Ari, could I have a makeup remover wipe for Lauren? Don’t want her going to sleep with it all over her face.”

“‘Course, Mila,” Ariana says with a grin once more before disappearing into her en-suite bathroom.

The other girls begin getting up and ready for bed around her, Tori gently shaking Ally awake who stares around groggily, letting out a giant yawn that makes Tori giggle. Ariana walks out of the bathroom holding a packet of makeup wipes and lays them next to Camila on the bean bag.

Pausing for a moment, Camila considers how she’s going to get up and bring Lauren to the other room without waking her up, but it’s almost impossible. Leaning over the girl, she gently shakes her shoulders, trying to slowly wake her up.

“Lo… Lauren… wake up,” Camila whispers into her ear. “It’s time for bed.”

Lauren’s eyes slowly blink open and she furrows her brows at having been woken up. “Wha–”

“Come on, babe. You have to stand up so you can go to bed and sleep properly.”

“I– okay,” Lauren mumbles out confusedly. She sits up, letting out a big yawn before shutting her eyes and sitting still.

“Lo,” Camila chuckles out. “Come on, up, up.”

“Mm, but I don’t want to. I’m sleepy,” the girl whines out way too cutely for Camila to handle.

Standing up from her spot, Camila grabs the wipes in one hand and Lauren’s hand in the other. She tugs gently until Lauren unwillingly stands up and leads the girl out of the room and into the spare one.

“Sit here,” Camila says, pulling a wipe out as Lauren seats herself on the edge of the mattress. “I have to take your makeup off.”

Lauren doesn’t say a word as Camila leans in close to her face and begins softly wiping the makeup away. This is probably the closest she’s ever been to Lauren’s face but the girl is so sleepy that she doesn’t even realize.

Camila holds her breath as she struggles not to stare into Lauren’s droopy green eyes and only gets some relief when Lauren finally closes them completely.

“There… all done,” Camila breathes out and watches as Lauren’s eyes slowly flutter open. They hold eye contact for a few moments until a thump is heard from Ariana’s room. Camila clears her throat and straightens up from her position. 

“You should go wash your face before you sleep,” she advises Lauren, turning towards the trashcan to throw the used wipe away. “Do you want some water before bed? I was going to go grab some.”

“Sure,” Lauren says with a nod of her head. She stands up from her spot and walks to the bathroom before any of the other girls use it.

Going downstairs, Camila fills up two glasses with some fridge water, taking a deep breath before heading back up. When she arrives at the spare bedroom, Lauren is tucked up under the sheets, leaning against the headboard as she scrolls on her phone. 

“You’re not sleepy anymore?”

“Washing my face woke me up a little,” Lauren replies as she accepts the glass Camila hands her.

Nodding her head at Lauren’s answer, Camila takes a few sips of her water and sets the glass down on the dresser. She walks over to her side of the bed and climbs in, pulling the sheets over her legs and waist. 

Camila lies there for a few moments before turning over to face Lauren. She looks at the girl’s side profile for a little while until Lauren cracks a grin at feeling Camila stare at her.

“What?” she asks with a small laugh.

Shrugging one shoulder as best as she can while lying down, Camila takes a moment to answer. “You’re just really pretty.”

Lauren squeezes her eyes shut in shyness, and even in the dim lighting of the bedroom, Camila can see her slight blush.

Chuckling softly at Lauren’s cuteness, Camila nods her head towards the phone, noticing that it’s open on Instagram. “What are you looking at?”

Lauren’s blush darkens. “Oh… um… well–”

Instead of answering, she slowly tilts the screen towards Camila. It seems that Lauren is on the explore feature of Instagram, looking at pictures of nose rings.

“Lo, is this something you want?”

Biting her lip shyly, Lauren nods as she exits out of the app and places her phone down on the bedside table.

“How come you haven’t gotten it then?”

“I’m… I don’t know. Nervous? Shy? Worried that people will make fun of me I guess.”

“Well fuck those people then,” Camila says a little too angrily. “If it’s something you want to do then go ahead and do it. Forget what they think. Their opinion doesn’t matter.”

“You think so?” Lauren asks quietly.

Camila is sure of it. “Definitely. You’ll feel proud of yourself for doing so.”

Chewing on her bottom lip, Lauren takes a moment to think it over before nodding. “Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll get my nose pierced. On one condition though.”

“What’s that?” Camila asks with her eyebrows raised.

“You have to come with me when I get it done.”

Camila smiles easily, already looking forward to it.

“You’ve got yourself a deal.”

~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was going to say how this chapter is filler but my girlfriend kindly pointed out that all of my chapters are filler therefore my entire story is just one big ass filler.
> 
> she's also the reason that harry potter is even mentioned in this chapter because she's a little slytherin dork (apparently i'm ravenclaw but we're still not quite sure about that)
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> check me out on wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast

Lauren barely registers the faint chatter of conversation happening somewhere in the house. She honestly wishes they would quiet down because she’s extremely cozy right now and doesn’t really want to be disturbed. Attempting to block the sound from her ears, she burrows further against the warmth she’s surrounded by.

Settling down, Lauren smiles happily when she feels the warmth press even closer to her. She swears she’s never felt this comfortable before and has no intentions of moving any time soon.

A few minutes pass as Lauren gradually regains her consciousness. Around the third minute mark, Lauren suddenly feels the warmth move against her and is awake enough to realize that blankets shouldn’t be moving on their own. She snaps her eyes open, blinking them quickly as she adapts to the morning light. Once her eyes come into focus, Lauren looks around and then realizes that she’s not alone in bed, finally remembering that she shared a bed with Camila last night.

That thought puts her at ease that she’s with someone she knows and is comfortable with, and not in bed with some stranger. But Lauren’s warmth moves again and it’s only then that she realizes how exactly her and Camila are sharing the bed.

They’re squished up against each other, cuddled on one side of the bed. There’s no space between them, spooning each other with front pressed up against back.

Lauren’s arm is thrown around Camila’s waist, the other one tucked under the pillow, while Camila is pressed as far back against Lauren as she can go, her butt even jutting backwards to fit Lauren’s body shape. Their legs are tangled together and Camila’s got a hand resting on Lauren’s thigh that lays on top of both of Camila’s legs.

Blushing at the position they’re in, Lauren attempts to extract herself from the embrace. She slowly begins to remove her arm from around Camila’s waist but before she can get very far, Camila grumbles in her sleep and subconsciously pulls Lauren’s arm tighter around her.

Lauren’s blush deepens as Camila holds Lauren’s arm against her in a firm grip, as if the girl  _knows_  Lauren was trying to move. Snuggling even closer to Lauren, Camila lets out a content sigh in her sleep as she settles in comfortably against her.

Realizing that there’s no way Lauren is going to be able to move without waking Camila up, she resigns herself to the fact that she’s stuck holding Camila until the girl’s grip loosens. She closes her eyes and decides to pass the time by getting lost in her thoughts, seeing where her mind takes her.

By the time Lauren opens her eyes again, she realizes that she has no idea what she was even thinking about because she had fallen asleep again. Lauren feels movement against her front and comes to the conclusion that she woke up because Camila is stirring, most likely finally waking up from her sleep. Panicking, Lauren tenses up, inadvertently squeezing her arm tighter around Camila’s waist.

“Mm… what time is it?” Lauren hears Camila mumble sleepily, reaching one hand up to rub at her eyes.

Lauren doesn’t answer, unsure what to do because once Camila fully wakes up, she’s going to realize the position they’re both in. She feels Camila move her hand away from her face and accidentally bump into Lauren’s arm draped over her.

“Wha–” Lauren hears Camila say in confusion.

At this point, Lauren has no idea what to do. She’s contemplating pretending to be asleep so that Camila hopefully won’t think it’s weird, but before she gets the chance to, Camila turns her head around and locks eyes with Lauren’s wide ones.

Camila opens her mouth to say something but before any sound comes out, Lauren is flinging herself away from the girl and launches herself off the bed, nearly flying into the wall in her haste to distance herself.

“I’m sorry!” Lauren squeaks out, her face flaming red. “I– I was sleeping; I had no idea! And then I woke up and tried to move but you, you held on so I couldn’t move and then… and then I accidentally fell back asleep but I would have moved if I could! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to weird you out!”

Standing still with her chest heaving slightly, Lauren stares back at Camila with her wide green eyes, her lip caught between her teeth in anxiety. She doesn’t know what else to say; Camila is just staring at her, not uttering a word.

Suddenly, a smile breaks out on Camila’s face. “Lo… you’re so cute to honestly think that I had a problem with waking up in your arms.”

Lauren’s eyebrows rise up towards her hairline in surprise then furrow back down in confusion. “Wait… what?”

“Come here,” Camila beckons with an outstretched hand.

Cautiously, Lauren takes it and gingerly seats herself back onto the bed. Camila shuffles across the mattress so that she’s closer to Lauren and grabs both of her hands.

“There will never be a time when I won’t be happy to wake up with you holding me like that. I was about to tell you how nice it felt but then you kind of freaked out on me,” Camila chuckles out.

Lauren blushes. “I thought maybe you’d be weirded out,” she mumbles quietly.

Camila laughs again. “Never.”

Smiling softly, Lauren glances away shyly for a moment before looking back at Camila. “Well, in that case… I wouldn’t mind sleeping with you again. I really liked it too.”

With a start, Lauren realizes how her phrasing sounds but thankfully Camila doesn’t comment on it, saving her from embarrassment.

“At the next sleepover, we can request to share a bed again. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great,” Lauren agrees with a smile.

They finally make it out of the guest room and join the other girls for brunch. After hanging out for a couple more hours, everyone decides to part ways and head home. They all say goodbye in Ariana’s driveway and just as Camila is about to climb into her car, Lauren stops her.

“Hey, um, what are you doing later?” Lauren asks with a nervous smile.

“I’ve got nothing going on,” Camila replies. “Why, what’s up?”

“Well, I wanted to get the piercing done.”

“Wait, today?”

Lauren nods.

“I- okay, yeah, I can come with you.”

“Thanks so much, Camz!” Lauren exclaims, jumping in place in her excitement. “I can’t wait!”

They make plans for when and where to meet and after an enthusiastic hug, Lauren gets in her car and drives home, smiling the entire way.

~~

It doesn’t take much to convince her dad to sign a notarized consent form so that she can get a facial piercing even though she’s not yet eighteen. He’s known about her wanting to get it for a while and promises that he’ll take the brunt of Clara’s anger (who would definitely not approve of Lauren’s piercing). Lauren knows that the only reason why she’s getting away with it with him is because she’s kind of a daddy’s girl and he’s always been supportive of anything she’s wanted to do, right from the start. Plus, maybe she lets it slip that she’s going with her new, really good friend who’s been defending her from bullies.

Putting her sleepover stuff away, Lauren double checks that she has her wallet and the form before calling out to her dad that she’s leaving. Her and Camila are set to meet at the body piercing place around three-thirty and Lauren doesn’t wanna be late.

She hops in her car and puts on a random playlist, singing along to the music until she arrives five minutes early. Parking her car, Lauren hesitantly enters the tattoo parlor, a little nervous about the place. It has good recommendations (meaning Camila recommended it to her) but this really isn’t the kind of shop Lauren would normally even think about walking into.

Right as she walks in, she spots a guy with long, shaggy hair, sitting on one of the armchairs with his feet resting on a skateboard. His tattooed arms are resting on his legs as he scrolls through the phone in his hands, not noticing Lauren enter through the door.

On another chair in the sitting area is a girl, sprawled sideways with her legs dangling over the armrest. She’s got purple dyed hair and headphones over her ears, and Lauren can see the colorful pattern tattooed across her exposed torso due to her crop top. The girl sees Lauren walk in and stares at her, but just as Lauren is about to glance away out of nervousness, the girl offers her a welcoming smile and leans back against the chair as she listens to her music.

Lauren doesn’t feel quite as apprehensive as she did a minute ago, so walking in the rest of the way, she takes a seat on the sofa and taps her knee as she patiently waits for Camila’s arrival.

Not even two minutes later, Lauren gazes up as the door swings open and Camila walks through. She spots Lauren almost immediately and after offering a quick greeting to the two other people in the waiting room with them, heads over to where Lauren is seated.

“Hey, Lo,” Camila says warmly, leaning in to embrace Lauren in a tight hug.

“Hi, Camz,” Lauren replies happily.

“You ready for this?” Camila asks as she takes a seat next to Lauren.

Lauren nods. “I’m nervous but also really, really excited. I’ve wanted this for so long.”

“If you need to squeeze my hand or anything, feel free to. I’ve heard that it hurts pretty bad. Some people said your eyes water and that it feels like getting punched in the face.”

“Oh,” Lauren says thoughtfully. “Well, I’m not too worried. I’ve prepared myself for this, so I’m ready.”

“Yeah?” Camila smiles. “That’s good.”

Camila doesn’t get the chance to say anything else because someone approaches them where they’re sitting.

“Hey, Mila! Long time no see!”

Glancing up, Lauren comes face to face with the source of the gruff voice: a slightly older guy, probably in his thirties, looking like the typical tattoo artist. Covered in head to toe with ink, he also sports a buzzed haircut, black gauges in his earlobes, and a large septum ring hanging between his nostrils.

“Jeremy!” Camila exclaims, bouncing up into the man’s outstretched arms. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Yeah, I’ve been busy.”

“Well, it’s good to see you.” Turning towards Lauren who is seated quietly and unsure what to do, he gives her a friendly grin. “So this must be the lucky lady getting her nose pierced today?”

“Yup,” Camila answers for Lauren when she notices how uncomfortable she is. “Lauren here has wanted her nostril pierced for quite some time now.”

Jeremy smiles kindly at her once more. “Well, I’m grateful that you picked me to do the honors.”

“Camz recommended you,” Lauren says shyly, taking Camila’s outstretched hand and standing up from the couch. “And I trust her opinion.”

“I promise I’ll take care of you,” Jeremy replies, a hand placed dramatically on his chest as he leads them over to the counter.

They stop in front of it while he slides around the corner of it to stand in front of them, the counter in between.

“Alright. Right here–” Jeremy begins, making a circle over the glass with his finger, “–is all of our jewelry for nose piercings. Once the hole is healed completely you can change it to a ring if you wish, but for the initial piercing, I have to use a stud. There are different kinds of studs though so it’s up to you which one you’d prefer to have.”

“Oh, yeah,” Lauren says, suddenly perking up. “I looked this up when I first decided I wanted a nose piercing. I’m going to do the stud with the ball closure.”

Jeremy nods approvingly as he slides the counter door open and pulls out the little tray displaying the different kinds of studs. “Which one do you want? The cheapest ones are the steel ones, but I also have titanium and gold as well. It mostly depends on the look or color you want and if you have any allergies to certain metals.”

“I’m not sure if I have any allergies but… the steel is cheaper and since I’m trying to save my money…”

“No problem,” Jeremy says as he bends down to search for the steel stud Lauren picked out.

Before he can lean back up, Camila speaks up. “Wait. Get her the titanium one, Jeremy. I’ll just pay for the price difference.”

“Wha– Camz– no–” Lauren begins.

Camila places a hand on Lauren’s arm to quiet her. “Don’t worry about it, Lo. It’s not a big deal. Plus, what if you do have an allergy? It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Staring at Camila for a moment, Lauren bites her lip to try and stop the grin from taking over her face. “Camz…”

“Here we go,” Jeremy interrupts as he stands back up, a sealed bag in his hand as he slyly grins at them. “The  _titanium_  stud for Camila’s girl.”

Both Lauren and Camila’s cheeks flush, but Camila is the only one to reply. “Shut up,” she mumbles good-naturedly.

After presenting the consent form and Lauren’s ID and signing the necessary forms, Jeremy leads the two girls to a closed off room with a black adjustable chair in the center of it.

“Take a seat here, Lauren,” he says, gesturing to the chair. “Camila, you can pull that stool up to sit next to Lauren if you want.”

As the two get comfortable, Jeremy gets his piercing tools ready, washing his hands and pulling on some gloves.

“Now, which nostril are you getting it done on?”

“Left side,” Lauren says.

Jeremy nods and drags the cart holding his tools closer to him as he situates himself on Lauren’s left. He preps the area, disinfecting and marking it to be pierced. Lauren glances at Camila anxiously, both in nervousness and excitement. Reaching her hand out, Lauren grips Camila’s firmly, laying back properly as Jeremy turns to her again with the needle in his hand.

He lines it up but pauses before actually piercing her nose. “You ready?”

Inhaling through her nose, Lauren licks her lips and is about to answer when she feels Camila’s other hand grasp the back of hers, trapping Lauren’s hand comfortingly between both of hers.

Smiling at the action, Lauren turns towards Jeremy. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m ready.”

“Okay, here we go.”

Lauren squeezes her eyes shut, feeling the pinch and tingle as the needle is pushed through her cartilage, but what she notices more than that is Camila’s comforting squeeze as she tries to distract Lauren from the pain.

The rest of the process passes by in a breeze as Jeremy eventually switches the needle out for the stud Lauren (Camila) picked. He finishes up as he leans back with a wide grin.

“All finished. Want to see?” He asks, leaning over to grab a mirror.

Lauren takes it from his hands, holding it up so that she can see her reflection. It’s pretty red around her entire nostril from being prodded and pierced but she can clearly see the shiny, silver stud sitting flush against her nose. Turning to look at Camila, the girl is already grinning widely at Lauren.

“What do you think?” The girl asks excitedly.

Lauren’s smile widens, flitting her gaze between Camila and Jeremy. “I love it! I’m so happy right now. Thank you so much!” Lauren exclaims as she looks at Jeremy.

“No problem, kiddo. Any friend of Camila’s is a friend of mine. Or more than a friend,” he says with a chuckle at the girls’ embarrassed expressions.

They all head out of the room, lining up around the counter once more as Jeremy gives her care and cleaning instructions and inputs the transaction to come up with a total. Lauren hands over her money while Camila covers the difference for the titanium piercing and after saying goodbye to Jeremy, they head towards the door. As they pass the waiting area, the girl with the headphones looks up at Lauren and gives her a lopsided grin.

“Sick nose ring! Good choice,” she compliments and goes right back to her music.

Even the skater guy flashes Lauren a thumbs up as they exit the shop.

As they step onto the sidewalk, Lauren tips her head back and smiles, feeling like she’s floating on top of the clouds. And when Camila suggests they go to an ice cream store to celebrate, Lauren honestly can’t think of anything better.

~~

When Lauren walks into school on Monday, the first thing that happens is that Ally and Tori come running up to her excitedly.

“Let’s see it! Let’s see it!” Ally shouts.

Lauren grins and faces them, showing her new piercing to her friends.

“It looks so good, Laur,” Tori compliments. “Did it hurt?”

Lauren nods. “Yeah, for the rest of the day it felt like someone had punched me, but it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.”

“I’m so glad that you finally got it. Camila went with you, right?”

“She did,” Lauren confirms to Ally. “She recommended the place and I’m actually glad I went there cause the guy did a good job.”

Before anyone can reply, Lauren feels an arm thrown around her shoulders. She glances over and sees Zayn’s grinning face to her left.

“Nice nose ring! It really suits you.”

“Thanks, Zayn. I’m so happy with it.”

“That’s awesome that you finally got to do it.”

Lauren doesn’t get to talk to any one of her friends for very long because one by one they all approach her and compliment her on her new piercing. After being thoroughly bombarded by them for several minutes, Camila finally makes her appearance, greeting everyone (but mostly Lauren) with a big smile.

“How’s your nose feeling, Lo?” Camila asks kindly.

“I mean, besides the fact that whenever I accidentally hit it, it wouldn’t stop bleeding for like an hour. But besides that, I’m just really happy.”

Camila smiles, waiting until they say goodbye to their friends before replying. “I’m glad you’re happy. It looks really good on you.”

“I know, Camz,” Lauren giggles out. “You said that about fifty times the day I got it.”

Camila blushes and turns her face to the side to hide it. “Whatever, that’s just because it’s true.”

“Either way, thanks again,” Lauren says with a smile as they stop outside her classroom.

“I’ll see you next period?” Camila asks before she walks away.

Lauren nods. “See you then.”

With that, Lauren enters the classroom while Camila heads towards her own class. Lauren finds her usual seat in the second to last row and pulls her notebook out, feeling the strong urge to doodle this class away. She barely even registers the rest of the students filing in or their teacher greeting them when he enters.

Lauren only pays just enough attention to respond during role call and doesn’t hear anything else the teacher says. Too focused on her drawing, Lauren doesn’t catch the teacher saying her name. It’s when he has to repeat her name louder that Lauren finally glances up.

“Ah yes, now she heard me call her name. You’ll be taking your seat next to Lauren over there.”

That’s when Lauren realizes that he had been talking to an unfamiliar student and directing her to sit next to Lauren. She flicks her gaze over the girl as she makes her way towards the empty desk, her long, wavy brown hair swaying behind her as she maneuvers through the other desks. Trying her best to watch subtly, Lauren observes as the new student takes her seat, pulling her necessary items out and settling back into the chair.

All of a sudden, she turns her head to the side and catches Lauren staring at her. Feeling a blush rise on her cheeks, Lauren quickly looks away, embarrassed that she was caught.

Hearing soft laughter coming from her left, Lauren peeks again with her eyebrows raised. The girl is laughing at her, but more so in a fond way than to make fun of her.

“Hi there,” the girl says suddenly, completely taking Lauren by surprise because of her voice. She really didn’t expect this girl to sound that way, to have such a low and smooth voice.

“Um, hi,” Lauren replies unsurely.

The girl just smiles wider. “Nice nose ring.”

“Oh,” Lauren says shyly. “Thank you.”

“You’re Lauren, right?”

Lauren nods, nudging her glasses back up her face when they slide down from the motion.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lucy.”

~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i forgot to mention this in my last update but i started a new mini series with each chapter being a standalone. it's based off of all of fifth harmony's music videos and shows different points of camren's relationship in each video shoot. it's called you're my end (and my beginning) and i'd love it if you guys checked it out.
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/champagnetoast


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